I try swishing some salt water
To heal the mess
From a tooth pulled too soon.
I try to stop the blood flooding my mouth
Try to stop feeling around for what
isn't there
Try to close the metallic tasting,
red-hot wound
Formed by frustration and a molar.
An attempt to eat my favorite food
Ends with disappointment and discomfort
And I think I'd do anything to get that
same tooth back again.
I try to resist the urge to bite down –
The tenderness is unbearable.
But in my daydreaming for baby teeth,
I realize that my future lies with the
new ones;
Something more mature and stable will gradually come.
So I succumb to the urge to feel for what
isn't there,
And I am delighted to discover
The ridges and the peaks,
The promise of an adult tooth.