One of my nails
is way shorter than the rest.
I’ve been biting at it lately.
It started off as a hangnail
and now it’s become
a sore stub.
I don’t really bite anymore.
It’s a bad look to be a woman
with a bad set of nails.
Jagged nails are for
grown men and children.
Makes me wish
I could be either one,
sometimes.
It hurts.
The cuticle’s dried up,
and the corners are crusted
with a thin layer of blood.
Yet I still pick
and I still chew.
I can’t seem to stop.
I have to stop.
It’s a bad look to be a woman
without self-control.
Being unrestrained is for
grown men and children.
Makes me wish
I could be either one,
sometimes.
/////
Ally Ortiz is a writer born and raised on Long Island. She writes poetry, short stories, and autobiographical pieces and is currently pursuing her degree in education at SUNY New Paltz (NY), with a focus on the English Language Arts. She’s been a lifelong student of the arts, drawing, writing, and taking photos for as long as she can remember.
Read another of Ally’s poems, “The Soles of My Childhood”, here on Lightwood. Scroll to our Search Button, enter the author’s name and click.
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