scrabble tile teeth
spill out across linoleum
like blood spatter
in the shape of a plea,
a prayer,
an apology for when
the only kind of smile
i can offer you is wooden
and doesn’t get me
many points;
i’ve learned to chew
on the splinters left behind
like an afterthought,
bloody like it’s all they
know how to be,
the clacking of these hollow
teeth of mine
in the place of all
i have to say.