Stitched across my clavicle
(the only bone in the body
that lies horizontally)
blisters.
A sign in the flesh
this hurt needs to etch
its way into my skin:
scar like a braille
tattoo every single word
naming a sorrow
little beads
a prayer
to remember you.
Ann Pibel is a librarian and poet. Her poetry has been published in Yankee Magazine, Euphony journal, and the online magazine As it Ought to Be. She is a member of Writers at Work in Los Angeles.