The Recurrence of Old Habits

The Recurrence of Old Habits

I used to bite my nails as a kid
My piano teacher hated to hear
My fingernails click
Against the piano keys as I played
And I would never remember
To cut them
So I bit them off before each lesson
So she couldn’t reprimand me
And eventually it turned into
A bad habit
One that was incredibly hard to break
Even when I quit taking lessons
I found myself annoyed
When my nails would click
Against a new set of keys
Tapping away at the computer
Click, Click, Click,
So I kept them short
Whenever I found myself
With the tips of my fingers in my mouth
I got the scissors
And cut my nails down to nothing
That wasn’t a habit I wanted to start again
And then the pandemic hit
And my fingers have never been
Such a sight
Fingertips always in my mouth
Nails bitten down to the quick
And I haven’t even noticed I’m doing it
It seems now it’s the ticking of time
That has me trying to stop the clicks
How quick the recurrence of old habits
When you have no control

Words: ©2020LCR
Image: CCO