S C A R S

My scars are almost all hidden within my mind, the few that exist on my body are like medals won through experience, and I carry them as such.

Perhaps my most serious scar is now healed (thankfully). I used to be a biker and took pride in my 1200cc Yamaha VMax until that day some 26 years ago when I was hit by a motorist and knocked into a picturesque stone wall. It caused a compound fracture in my spine and for the ten minutes it took for the medical team to arrive I was the subject of much attention from passing strangers who all stopped to look.

It struck me as actually quite funny in an ironic way because I realised that people only ever ask you if you're alright when it's obvious that you are not. Still, I'm guilty of that myself so I can accept it.

On another occasion I was advised to take more exercise so decided on a course of daily jogging. My route consisted of a simple three mile jog across some very lovely countryside, alas on my first outing I fell down a beautiful slope and broke my ankle. It snapped with a resounding crack and I lay there howling in agony. After fifteen minutes the pain subsided so I hobbled back to my hovel with one ankle swollen to the size of a medium Zeppelin.

On another occasion I had to be in work extra early in the morning so I set my alarm clock (this was before smartphones were even thought of). Knowing that I was terrible at getting up early I placed my alarm clock about six feet from my bed, so that I would have to get up to turn it off. Next morning my alarm went off as normal so I dived out of bed and strode quickly across my room and kicked a chair that was hidden in the blackness of the night. Result - I broke my little toe on my right foot - ouch!

Besides the above I have various dents and marks on almost every limb - trophies of past battles or collisions with solid objects.

My inner scars stem from my childhood and those have been well documented elsewhere on Prose.

If you add an e to scars you make scares - funny that - not!