Flesh-Colored Thread

A large collage decorates a wall of one exam room at the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco, Calif.
*Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health News*/NPR

The doctor finished his final prick and pull before tying the end.

“You’re all set.” he told his young patient, before starting on the customary instructions on how to care for the wound.

“In the weeks that follow,” he told Armani, “keep the site clean and covered.”

“Robin’s egg? Really, doc?” The teen wasn’t listening. He was too busy looking at his new face with the i-phone camera. The threads would dissolve, but the scars on his forehead and cheeks would be permanent.

“Everything I do is stitched with color,” the doctor replied, wondering whether there was more than gravity to blame for Armani’s injuries.

The clinic couldn’t afford flesh-colored thread let alone social workers.

Hell, he was lucky to have blue. Other times, he’d stitched men’s faces with fuchsia.

“Colorful characters, aren’t we?”

The doctor chuckled. “Think how boring the universe’d be otherwise?”

dVerse | Prosery – Everything is Stitched 144 words to include the borrowed line:

Everything I do is stitched with its color.
– W.S. Merwin, from “Separation”

30 responses to “Flesh-Colored Thread”

John

Doctors… Some are very good like my GP, while others have zero people skills.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Yes, well mine today had great taste in music as he worked in my mouth, but a bit clumsy, or so my sore mouth tells me. 😂
  
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  1. John
    
    Ouch! We all despise the dentist it seems but it’s very much needed. Try adding salt and water mixed up and swish it in there, it may help. 👍🏻 Luke-warm water.
    
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  2. K.Hartless
    
    Thank you, John. Such a thoughtful suggestions. Will do. 💜
    
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  3. John
    
    👍🏻☺️❤️
    
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msjadeli

Your story brings the grittiness of humanity to it. Thank goodness for “angels with skin.”

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Yes, indeed. Thank you, Lisa. I thought of the free clinic nearby me, and how many everyday angels are around us. I actually have had my own head stitched blue at a time when I had no insurance, so this isn’t all fiction.
  
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  1. msjadeli
    
    K, it’s even better knowing part of that is your memory. You’re right that angels are all around us. You’re very welcome.
    
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  2. K.Hartless
    
    💜🦋
    
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M Jay Dixit

So clever! Nicely done!

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you, Jay. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one.
  
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Tricia Sankey

I like how you spun some backstory of the clinic into this short piece. Masterfully written!

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you kindly, Tricia. 144 words is a challenge, but I like trying to make it impactful.
  
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  1. Tricia Sankey
    
    You did! 👏👏
    
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ben Alexander

Wow… that’s a creative direction to go in, KK! ❤

Love it!

~David

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you, David. I think when it said stitched in color, I immediately thought of my own low moment when I needed stitches and they were done in a bright blue. I was just thankful to have them done.
  
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Gillena Cox

Nice one. Luv the coloured threads you spun in. Thanks for dropping by my blog.

Much❤love

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thanks, Gillena. It was a pleasure to read your prosery, and I’m so glad you enjoyed this tapestry of words. Cheers!
  
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kim881

A different and creative take on the prompt line, and I quite like the idea of brightly coloured stitches to make the world less boring.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Yes, well, as one who’s had bright blue stitches, I can attest it was a less boring time, but one that I remember needing help and receiving it, which I hope will be true of many more to come.
  
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merrildsmith

I like how the doctor tries to put a positive spin on the poverty and failing healthcare system.
Of course, you’d need several different colors for “flesh-colored.” 😏

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Yes, I thought of that when I wrote it, and wondered if hospitals have different shades of thread. I did get blue stitches on my face when I was in my 20’s. Oh man, that was a wild time. I think, when your in the thick of it, all you can really do is think positive and well, laugh through it.
  
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  1. merrildsmith
    
    I looked it up because I’m a research nerd. So, they are usually clear or white, but there are different materials. BUT, I found this story about a 17-year-old who has invented sutures that change color when there’s an infection! Isn’t that wild? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/17-year-old-black-girl-makes-color-changing-sutures-that-detect-infection
    
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Colleen M. Chesebro

I love the creativity of the blue stitches and the kindness of the doctor. We need all colors to become human, don’t we?

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Absolutely. Thanks, Colleen. I’ve really learned to appreciate diversity in all things as I get older. There’s so much to explore, and meeting people from different backgrounds is one of the best parts of that.
  
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  1. Colleen M. Chesebro
    
    I agree. I love how our blogging world enriches us with new thoughts and creativity.
    
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

Maybe it’s a good reminder for the teen to have the colored stitch… the scar is part of a learning process maybe (or he was the victim of abuse)

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Yes, I do think there’s a lesson in having bright stitches on your face. (I surely learned mine). But, I did think maybe this fall could have been not so much an accident as some sort of abuse. Thanks for reading this piece. I’m not it was stitched together perfectly in the end, but I enjoyed crafting it.
  
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Sunra Rainz

Love this write, K, and adore the accompanying artwork! 🙂

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you kindly, Sunra. I think it was my actual bright blue stitches in college, when I didn’t have insurance that may have sparked this one. 😉
  
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