I couldn't stop scratching my foot
I scratched and scratched and scratched
Until the very skin peeled back
Revealing the bright pink undertones
Of my raw, burning flesh
But I couldn't stop scratching
So fluorescent cranberry dotted my foot
Until streams of blood trickled
Over my skin
And onto the floor
And it hurt so much
But I couldn't stop scratching
Even as the blood pooled up
While layer after layer of pearly skin
Slowly pulled back
Until I reached the throbbing muscle
And as the venom surged through
It gave a sharp twinge
But I couldn't stop scratching
So my nails dug down
Until the stringy muscle
Fell away
With little bits stuck on my fingers
A gory mess slipping down my hands
But I couldn't stop scratching
Though the bone was exposed
Its hard shell
Echoing against the desperate scrapes of my nails
While I clawed the case
Until even the bone disintegrated
Under the pressure
But I couldn't stop scratching
‘Til that last itch was gone.