“You’ve finished the bandaids”

My mom remarks

I tell her it’s bug bites

But bug bites don’t look like deep red lines

Like the ones you carved into yourself for no apartment reason

But bites don’t look like hiding you arm in a tube top so people don’t ask

And you don’t have to cry and tell the whole story

But bites don’t look like purple scars that don’t turn white anymore

Bug bites don’t feel like they burn under the bandaid that covers them

Bug bites don’t need to be hidden

Bug bites don’t cause enough blood to flow down your arm in the shower causing a sting

Bug bites don’t cause questioning about why you were wearing a bandaid

Bug bites don’t cause people to notice

Those aren’t bug bites