A Difference in Opinion
Tina casually mentioned
she was a cutter
as though she were admitting
to being an accountant
she rolled up her sleeves
revealing two tablets
of pale scars
I got lots more
on my legs
she almost smiled
I could remember
vividly
stepping on a piece
of broken glass
outside my apartment
when I was five years old
since then
I’d lived my life
firmly committed
to avoiding injury
you don’t understand,
she sighed
cutting is
a celebration of experience
good times or bad
I mark my body
with what marks
my psyche
it’s no different
than your tattoos
yeah
but you have
a skin full of scar tissue
I have a Hawaiian girl
who swings her hips to
Howa myki kiki howa
when I flex my biceps
there’s a world of difference
Karl Koweski is a 32 year old displaced Chicagoan now living on top of a mountain in Alabama.