Teeth | a Poem by Rose Ramsden

There’s a gap between my teeth,

A sliver where the edges of enamel don’t quite meet,

Jagged canines protected by a yellow sheath.

There’s a gap between my teeth.

Open wide: my lips form a wreath,

Revealing wet layers of pulp beneath.

There’s a gap between my teeth.

She wraps metal around the bone and gives a tweak,

Blood blooming inside my cheek.

There’s no longer a gap between my teeth.

My tongue rolls along my newly bleached heath.

It’s over. But

Red still spills past my lips when I breathe.

ILLUSTRATION BY AMBER BARDELL