scars upon thars

I'm looking at my hands --- and they are working man's hands. I bear the cuts, scrapes, and burns of my job. What joy -- more cuts ahead, where any acid neatly reminds me of sores that only appeared to be better healed. My fellow co-workers bear scars from longer work there ... pigment error (mark of a burn) here, faint mark of a once-deep cut there.

Now, you're cautious, but there are ways to injure yourself. I have been jolted by machines (electrical), burnt minorly through accident and incident, cut, and have had chemicals splashed into my eyes. I also got the wonder of vaporized toxins into my lungs -- and I thought working in a industy was dangerous.

Anway, there are no bragging rights now, for no one seeks the scars upon thars, for we are all with scars and mixed -- experienced in the warmth of, "Mother of pearl, that hurts!"