After Washing my Socks

I put my socks in the wash. After they dried, I noticed that they were loose and droopy, not tight and well shapen like they had been when I bought them years ago, a sign to throw them away. I thought about my own body. I do want to have children one day. Will I expend, loose my shape? And at that point in time, what will I have to give? Youth slips out of me everyday. Tomorrow I will turn 25 (then 26, and I’m too old for Leonardo DiCaprio). My body will loosen, loosen, I’ll mary a man, he will see this, witness this loosening, and then he will look away, look for another bright eyed girl, younger, fitter.

No, Erika, you are not a sock. Release yourself from the metaphorical prison of the sock!!

I picked up a vitamin C serum a week ago. Vitamin C includes antioxidents, which help prevent signs of aging. I’ve been asking ChatGPT for skincare recommendations, sending pictures of my current skin texture during the worst of my breakouts, explaining my routine, asking for pointers. There was another vitamin C serum I tried, very expensive, that broke me out. Which ChatGPT told me not to use, but I thought, the more expensive the better! No, not better. This one was supposed to be gentler. But I used it for 3 days and could already see the subtle signs of irritation, little pimples popping up on my cheeks. I’ll have to return it and try another one. Next, I will try retinol, another cure for aging. Reverse the hourglass, stop the flow of time, one potion at a time. I sleep glossed in moisturizers and toners, like Snow White in the glass coffin, manifesting glass skin and endless youth.