husband numero uno, profile: nail biter

my ex husband was a nail biter
can't stand that habit
or the nasty remnants
it leaves behind
swollen puffy skin
that folds over
what is left
of the once was
nailbed

I tried to get him to stop
chomping away
at his insecurities
as though ripping off
deeply enough
would somehow change
who he was
and I wondered
what he was so ashamed of...

until I noticed
he wasn't wearing
his wedding ring
when he came home from work
claiming to have put it
in his briefcase
after having gotten swollen fingers
from all the typing he'd done
that day in the office

trying to convince me
of his love
while spitting out the pieces
he'd torn apart of himself
still trying to get me
to take a taste of his bullshit...
\"bite THIS\" I told him
\"I'm finished with this\"
\"chew on THAT for the rest of your life\"