Translucence

Although my family has had a home with a backyard pool for some years now, I've yet to become a laying-out type of girl. It's a rare occasion when I slip into a swimsuit to lay in the sun without the summer heat sending me scampering back inside. Also, if I do stay out for any amount of time, it's with heavy SPF sunscreen coated all over. The truth is, I like my paleness. I like being dark-headed with white skin. Sure, not tanning will have it's long-term advantages, but actually, I just like it. The paleness. It's different. I like seeing my veins underneath my skin, tracing blue roads on my body, as converging and diverging vessels. I like seeing the spikes of broken veins in old bruised areas and even the birthmark in stark contrast on my calf. I like the glossy black nail polish vivid on my toes and fingers. I like the pools of darkness under my eyes and the redness of my cheeks and lips. Mostly I like the veins on my wrist...spindly branching up into my palm, glowing blue beneath pale skin, with a faint criss-cross of scars whispering on top.