Hands

My hands reflect a personal history. I don't bite my nails, but they are short. My knuckles protrude considerably when I make a fist, revealing the dry cracks on top of them. I have permanent calluses on the inside palm of both my ring fingers, and sometimes these calluses take on a yellowish tint. I have a freckle on the inside of my left middle finger; for as long as I can remember, that freckle has been there. I have a burn mark on my right hand, and while it is relatively new, I cannot remember when and how I got this scar.


My hands are a deep brown color and they grow darker under the perpetual heat of the sun. My hands are covered with dark calluses from the daily labor I endure; these calluses grow on top of other calluses...scars on top of scars. My fingers bleed on a daily basis, and my blood mixes with the dry dirt that hardens under the beds of my fingernails. I can barely feel my fingertips anymore because they have become so desensitized.