Andrew’s graze upon his arm
Itched a bit but did no harm
He got it falling out of bed
(When he also bruised and banged his head)
Then the graze became a scab
The most troublesome one that Andrew had had

He wanted to poke it
He wanted to lick it
He wanted to scratch it
He wanted to pick it

But his Mum said
“NO!
“Leave it be
“Or it’ll turn septic and nasty and green
“Into the scariest scab that anyone’s seen”

So Andrew said `ok’ and agreed with his mother
But when she wasn’t looking (and nor was his brother)
He unpeeled the dressing that she had stuck on
And tried to remove it until it was gone

He touched it
He dabbed it
He pulled it
He jabbed it

But it just wouldn’t budge
In fact it got bigger and dripped drops of blood
That soon dried
Making the scab much larger in size
His Mum said “Have you picked your scab Andrew?”
“No way” he replied
(But of course we all know that Andrew had lied)

Then Mum glimpsed him later from the corner of her eye
Giving his scab removing skills another try
But his Mum said
“NO!
“Leave it be
“Or it’ll turn septic and nasty and green
“Into the scariest scab that anyone’s seen”

So once more Andrew promised to hold his urge back
And not play with his scab (that was now turning black)
But did he stick to his word?
Of course he did not
He tugged it
And lugged it
Till what once was a spot
Could be seen through his shirt
His Mum put Savlon on it to clean out the dirt
(And OUCH did that hurt!?)
And sent him to his room for disobeying her wishes
(After she made him wash up all the dishes)

Andrew said “Mum can’t I just pull the thing off?
“Cause it’s starting to ooze ‘orrible gunky stuff”
But his Mum said
“NO!
“Leave it be
“Or it’ll turn septic and nasty and green
“Into the scariest scab that anyone’s seen”

But Andrew didn’t listen to her wise warning
He thought “I’ll prod it with a pin, it’ll be gone by morning”

He tried to remove
He tried to grab it
He tried to loosen it
He tried to stab it

It was the most annoying thing in his life
He tried to burn it and cut it with a sharp knife
But it grew and grew and got very gigantic
He went to the doctor and even he panicked

His Dad (who had been quite quiet to date)
Said to him “Andrew – listen, I’m telling you mate
“NO!
“Leave it be
“Or it’ll turn septic and nasty and green
“Into the scariest scab that anyone’s seen”

But did he take heed?
Did he like heck?
His scab was all over his arms, his hands and his neck
It went down his legs and up to his tummy
He was wishing he’d followed the advice from his Mummy

But Andrew was not the kind of child to obey
Anyone a bit older, or wrinkly or grey
He thought he knew better
He thought he knew best
Even though the scab had now spread to his chest

So he carried on picking
He carried on scratching
His friends stayed away in case it was catching

It got more and more sore
And more and more raw
But his Mum said
“NO!
“Leave it be
“Or it’ll turn septic and nasty and green
“Into the scariest scab that anyone’s seen”

But it was too late
That moment had passed
So she covered Andrew from head to toe in cast
And put gloves on his hands
Which she glued to his sides
So he could not reach his scab no matter how hard he tried

Mum kept him like that for a year and a day
Until she unwrapped him and his scab fell away
Once more his skin was as smooth as a baby’s bottom
His scabby dark days could now be forgotten

And Andrew said
“YES!
“That’s the end of my scab
“The scariest scab that anyone’s had”
So if he gets a scab now he still might scratch it
But only a small scratch – it won’t become a bad habit