Bodyguard

Have you ever lost a nail? It's probably one of the only parts of the body that we noticeably, sometimes painfully, shed and replace. Hair doesn't count because it usually leaves us without saying goodbye. It just drifts away and turns up later in a glaringly obvious location, like plastered along the side of the bath tub or bobbing in the soup. Skin also leaves us but the specks are too small for me to care about. I won't notice it in the soup. (Ew.)

Nails do not go quietly into the night. They leave only when forced by a slammed door or inaccurate hammer, or old running shoes, which is what scares my nails away all the time. They have attachment issues, and will hang on, sometimes by a thread, to protect the tender digit beneath like a bodyguard lying over their person to protect them from bullets streaming above. 

I have a nail that is coming undone. It wishes to leave its post. I hope it has the wherewithal to hang on for a few more months. I need its protection.