teeth-whitening 

i want raccoon teeth. who would
want a fake bite? i crave my grin
crooked & rodent. once i was walking
with an ex & he said, "i have to go
& get my teeth whitened today."
i did not recognize him. i was terrified.
i had never looked closely at his teeth
but the next time he opened his mouth
all i saw were the whites of doll eyes. 
we broke up soon after. well actually 
he broke up with me. i prefer to let
the other person crack the egg. we stared
at the yolk on the floor. his teeth were
like piano keys. i want to maximize imperfection. 
let my fingernails grow too long. teeth
growing from the bathroom walls. 
teeth in the catch at the bottom of the sink.
i have to admit though i have tried it.
once, in the early pandemic, i bought 
a teeth whitening kit. i was spending
way too much time with my face. mirrors
bloomed where there never had been before.
i missed everyone who used to hold me. 
my flesh, like a stage curtain. i put on
a whitening strip & turned off the tv.
silence, lapping at my feet. teeth ringing
like tuning forks. when i took it off,
there wasn't as much change as i had hoped.
instead, a soft white across my mouth. 
i smiled at every mirror i could. threw out
the rest of the box. walk up the side of the moutain
to where the raccoons were chewing on 
what was left of an old moon. i knew then
i just wanted mouths like theirs. 
sugar on their tongues. the past, like 
a spreading sweet bruise. yellow teeth 
glowing in their skulls.