i cut my finger today
and in the trickle read the story
of all these years the shame
of dirty blood
that could kill

blood to be careful with, not safe to give
blood that haunted me
but now
in the thread of red that snaked my finger
my heart raced
at the discovery of a new story

of clean blood wiped of affliction
sure blood, untainted
my crimson ribbon, life
like yours and yours

i could bleed again without reading contamination
red like the color of love
vibrant blood, as it should be
my blood married back to life

i cut my finger today
and with the blood that dripped
a long standing story
is now re-written

HCV

Rendering of the Hepatitis-C virus, courtesy of Bryan Brandenburg. See more of his work at: http://bryanbrandenburg.net/about-bryan-brandenburg/product-history/


*I recently completed a clinical trial to cure Hepatitis C. The last lab results show the virus undetectable.

In loving memory of two close friends who lost the fight to this disease,
David Anderson and Wayne Terry.