mosquito bite

son of a bitch, all the mosquitos that come out of the dark and bite me at night. In sixteen minutes blood will fatten my vessels and collect at your entry-points. The bite on my thumb joint will swell soon and burn when I try to bend there. How is it that scratching your marks is like chocolate-encased razors under my veins? I have a secret layer of pink tissue paper for skin under my dermis. I scratch and hand-claw my way through muscle, cartilage, and bone to get there. It's where this current dilemna dwells. It eases with a warmth like sleeping and hurts like broken glass under fingernails when I scratch. Not scratching a bug bite is some serious bullshit. I'll scratch till i break off the yellow-red inflammed nodule forming over the bite. I'll dig my pencil through healthy skin and unaffected follicle till I scream. Overkill is a wonderful thing.

Mosquito bites itch because the glob of saliva the mosquito sticks there to prevent bleeding when it's done feeding is irritating to the body. My personal theory is that scratching the location will bring more blood to the area, which will make the nerves more sensitive, which will heighten the itching sensation. The best thing to do is think about something other than the bite until it goes away.

Only female mosquitos drink blood. Insert joke here.

Mosquito bite is also a slang term for a small breast or nipple.

One.
It's on my wrist, right under where my watch sits. Itchy.

Two
On my upper arm, just above my elbow.
I can't push my sleeve up that far.
Itchy.

Three.
Right on the rim of my ear, that thin spot of cartilage.

Four, Five, Six.
On my other arm.
Right near my ankle, where the shoe rubs it.
Perched on my knuckle.
ITCHY.

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. to the uncomfortable feeling of air moving in my personal space, a hovering speck near my ear.
It hummed.
I slapped it away.
I woke up at 5:34, there was a tickling on my wrist.
It buzzed.
I slapped it away.
I woke up at 6:12, I felt creepy-crawlies.
It was everywhere, buzzing, humming, sucking.
I turned the light on, smeared it into the wall with a shoe after several attempts.

Seven. Eight.
On the back of my neck.
Behind my knee.

Little known factoid:
It can take up to 24 hours after the actual bite for a mosquito bite to emerge.