Cyrian Mills
Come on, give us a smile.
Come on,
just show us those teeth.
Smile for the camera.
Spread those lips,
and show us what we need.
I’ve plucked my teeth out with pliers,
pulled them out clean.
To show you I care,
not about you but about me.
Not for the photo we’re taking,
or for a bet,
or a dare.
They dangle from my neck and ears.
This is how I like them,
playfully hanging there.
This is real.
This is my smile.
Showing off my true spirit.
It’s not as I once was,
but who I am now.
A new item on the mantel.
This is it.
I am now me.
Toothless but gaudy.
I am as I am without my teeth,
and I cannot lie through them anymore.
Not the way you all love to do.
Countless dollars of dentistry out the window.
Was money spent for my health
or for your perfect family photo?