Mouth Wales: a poem

A poem for all the toddlers…and their parents…and their toddler’s teeth.

photo via visualhunt.com

Mouth Wales

21 months
Brought sixteen teeth
Now molars
(Which are not teeth)
No, they are whales
Guiding the rest
Of the teeth
Toward the middle
Of her mouth.
Gums rupturing
Whales surfacing
Only the song
Isn’t of ancient water
But of the agony
Of toddler pain
Without words
Or explanation
Unadulterated agony,
Until the whales
Find their places.