L.M. Cole By L.M. Cole
.
my teeth hurt
rattling around
in my mouth like
bitter broken pills
based on experience I should consider
The pain may be psychosomatic.
Have you thought about losing some weight?
I am tired of following
three paces behind and slightly to the left
of the untroubled walk of men
who have never been told
Suck in your stomach
All my walks are troubled
I could spit blood
and broken molars
at the next person
to ask why
I didn’t just take care of myself
earlier
my mother likes to rewrite my history
I made sure you took care of your teeth.
but she only ever taught me to
clench my jaw and bite my tongue
walk behind the more confident
suck in my stomach
and consider losing some weight
L.M. Cole is an emerging poet from North Carolina. Her work has been previously published by Strukturriss Magazine in 2022. She writes poetry from the perspective of a bisexual, disabled woman who grew up in red-state Midwest. When she is not writing, she is wrangling her three children, being a comfortable bed for her cat, and making banana bread from bananas that were bought in good faith. You can find her on Twitter @_scoops__.
Why we chose this piece: A critical examination of diet culture, sexism, and mother/daughter relationships through the visceral lens of teeth? Just wow. This poem is deeply personal, yet the editors felt like we could hear our mothers’ voices in our heads. Also, the use of formatting is subtle but just enough to add some extra texture and rhythm to the piece.
