Skin Woes

I have been trying
To get an appointment with a GP
But in the middle of a pandemic
My case is not considered an emergency
You see, I have some spots on my face
Like women do
And sometimes men too
Not serious enough
To pay attention to
Till she pointed them out in 2016
Said I carried them around all the time
Like they were my babies
And it would pain me to part ways
I laughed it off then
After all, what are we
Without a sense of humour
The second time, she popped them
Three in one go, till blood oozed
The skin experts say to leave the pimple alone
But I was sure she knew better
The third time she said
I walked around like a leprosy patient
‘With all that on your face’
That is when I dialled the GP for the first time
Who put me on the pill
Which cleared my skin
But my body bloated
And my mood hurtled
Bread, dairy, rice and sugar
Were struck off the shopping list
Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil were added
Thank goodness for the lockdown and social distancing
I haven’t seen her in weeks
The mask causes more breakouts, actually
But with half my face covered, I feel safe
And not just from the virus
Soon, it will be time to meet again
The mask will have to come off
But maybe I don’t need pills and potions
Maybe I just need to say goodbye

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Shyama Laxman has an MA in Creative Writing from City University, London. She writes mainly about gender, sexuality and LGBT issues. Her work has been published in The Quint, Huffington Post and ShethePeople.TV. She is currently working on her first novel.
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