Lost the Thread

 

It can feel pretty good to tug on a loose thread. Like picking a scab, only there’s no potential for scar. At least not in the way you conceive of it. You feel that your clothing is imperfect and in need of a quick, homemade tailoring. So you tug on it, hoping to solve the problem. But instead, you create a bigger one, helplessly watching as the thread winds its way around your finger. That’s until you have a giant thread splint obscuring your primary digit. 

 

You’re reminded of an amateur magician performing for a group of children, pulling an endless array of rainbow scarves from his sleeve. The difference, of course, is the magic man was doing so for purposes of entertainment. Buying time until the birthday cake sugar crash left the tikes incapacitated. You’re no magician. You don’t like rabbits. You don’t wear hats. And the purpose of wands has always confused you. You pulled your thread to appease a twisted sense of symmetry. 

 

It's all lost now. The thread is loose getting looser. You had your reasons, believing, foolishly in hindsight, that an action such as this would help you momentarily forget your troubles. But your life begins to unravel along with the yarn.

 

You’re not a cat. Not yet anyway. Which means, yarn is of no use to you. You’re not a sailor, you’re not a whaler, you’re not capable of spinning a good yarn for a rapt and captive audience. Your sense of style is amiss. 

 

Your problems are multiplying because this was the day you choose to walk out in public wearing a plush body suit. A one-piece for the sake of time and efficiency. Not the weather. You believe that perspiration builds character and increasing it is a matter of principle. You’re not religious, but you start praying that the thread is nearly done. It’s not even close to finished. 

 

When you finally finish, you’re standing on the sidewalk, stark naked, except for pristine leather work boots, beside a giant pile of thread. The sad remains of your once proud body suit. Or was it a body sock? What is the difference between body suits and body socks? I guess it's just another thing you'll never know. You should’ve let the thread stay loose. Because now it’s lost. And there’s no going back.