Late last Friday night, on the mean wet-leaf strewn pavements of Manchester, I slipped and landed on my right hand. Pain, spectacular bruising, impressive swelling. Very British. Didn’t want to make a fuss. Soldiered on. Ibuprofen. Visiting friends, taking in sights and culture. Back to work Monday. Resigned to not cycling so buy weekly zone 1 & 2 tube pass. Struggle on using left hand for mouse and non-fluent typing. Swelling subsiding but thumb still extremely sore and not very bendy. Friday day off. GP fully booked. Walk to walk-in-clinic and advised to go to A&E for X-ray. Pleasant afternoon in waiting room reading Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf. Amazing patient NHS staff. X-rayed. Upshot: fracture near base of my thumb. Temporary plaster cast and back next week to see hand specialist. Spirits low. Looking at 6 weeks no cycling. Worse, left hand is useless at writing. HAVE to write my journal every day. Visceral need. Hold pen between index and middle finger right hand and scrawl. Develop Eimear McBride style, terse incomplete phrases. Fracture will heal. Bone will be stronger. Poor maligned left hand.
Hilaire 
I empathise! Having broken my left (dominant) thumb in Junior school I had to write right-handed for a month – almost as painful as the afflicted digit. Hope yours is soon healed.
Thank you! My right hand feels VERY dominant, and not using it makes me feel sort of tongue-tied. But I’m sure I’ll develop some new left-handed skills.
This is all the more poignant when reading your Frank O’Hara post of how you like to hand write your poems. Hope you heal quickly. Best wishes, Peter
Thanks for your kind thoughts. Writing by hand seems to help me access creative flow, but perhaps composing in a different way will open new avenues. Here’s hoping!
Sending you love and healing vibes! Poor you. Beautiful poem. Your left hand is still a child. Perhaps you will learn from it (him/her)? xx
Thank you! Yes, I’m hoping I may discover new resources and learn to love my left hand!
Poor you, Hilaire. I hope the left hand can take early retirement very soon. Though full marks for effort! Cx
Thanks, Claire!
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