#notalgia paresthetica

[theunsubtleknife]

Not me googling "itch back nerve" to find the name of this thing again after a year

[poetryinvitational]

Notalgia Paresthetica

As you get older you might feel a small itch between your shoulder blades. Difficult to reach, constant and nagging. Scratching does nothing but damage your skin: the itch remains. Science is flummoxed. Pinched nerve? Spinal disease? Common dry skin No, it is not a physical ailment, it’s a reminder. All of your abandoned dreams, unspoken loves, and lingering regrets, all collect back there. They become focused into the tip of an invisible spear, ever so lightly pushing you forward. “Hurry!” it cries, “Leave nothing undone. The more you wait the more you’ll feel me, until you feel nothing else.” —Georg Pedersen