✨ Three Things Challenge — GIANT • GLASS • GLAND

Published by

Maggie

26.02.2026 | MM347

In response to Di’s daily Prompt:
https://wp.me/p3RSgb-w94

When my parotid glands flare,
they don’t do it quietly.

They swell.
They push outward.
They make my face round and tight
until I look like a startled hamster
mid-winter storage season.

It’s visible.
Undeniable.
A public announcement from my own body.

And the pain?
It can cut like glass.

Not always constant —
but sharp enough
to steal focus,
to interrupt a sentence,
to remind me who’s in charge.

It’s strange how something hidden beneath the skin
can suddenly feel giant.

There are moments I want to hide.
Moments I cancel plans.
Moments I press a hand gently to my jaw
as if that might negotiate peace.

But I am more than swollen glands.
More than flare days.
More than the sharpness.

Even when I look like a hamster,
even when it cuts like glass,
I am still here.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫

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