Teeth

Smiles and miles 
of bitten hands
mix demands for
silence with the
good kind of 
violence. Incise
the name into
permanent fixes
for transient 
problems whose
molars are weaker
than poplar bark.
Stop marking terror
on the side? Balk 
at the attention
that rues its own
device. Leave hell
enough bones to
inure enamel 
against the dying
of the dying
of the light.