Swizzle Stick

Like Me, My Teeth

Like me, my teeth are crooked,
never braced against imperfection,
small & discreet, liable to grind
at night & break, in my dreams,
shatter like glass, splinter like ice

Like me, my teeth are a white imperfect,
no one colour, nothing supreme or pure
& not a uniform, matching set,
twenty glacial erratics quietly
tearing flesh & bread.

Unlike me, I take care of my teeth,
in the chair, twice a year, tuned out
to the buzz of the scaler or drill,
insurance against future pain,
shatter or splinter to hamper a smile.

Like me, my teeth don’t seek attention.
Like me, my teeth may say “bite me”.
Like me , like my teeth -