When I got nits as a kid

I asked my mum if I could keep them
They could be my pets
Stranded on an island
I could feel them nibbling away
Writing SOS on my scalp

And still when I go to sleep at night I wonder
If there is a tiny fly or ant
Castaway in my seaweed hair
Something alive, something here
Other than me.

Charlotte Cosgrove is a writer and lecturer from Liverpool. She has published two collections of poetry and is the editor of Rough Diamond poetry journal. 

‘When I got nits as a kid’ is the ninth and penultimate featured piece in the Urban Pigs Press CASTAWAYS callout, which celebrates the release of the latest Urban Pigs title Robinson Crusoe Maybe by guest editor Colin Gee. Colin is founder and editor of The Gorko Gazette and author of several books.