Back Teeth

In lieu of the first dentist visit in three years and the first cavity my mouth has ever experienced, I thought it fitting to reach into the archives and pull out this little gem...

They warned me against the pain,

Against the hardship,

The suffering in the years to come.

An invasion,

A civil war beyond the violence among brothers,

Only me against me.

God created you,
Like He does a tree,

But we destroy you,

Only because we do not understand you,

Have not yet figured your purpose.

Uprooted in our human ignorance…

You are this.

Why, if you truly are as wise as they say,

Do you wrestle with us for control,

Bully us with your stubborn tact,

And try in vanity to crowd the crowd?

Sometimes with success.

So we fear you,

A tormentor’s spirit…

You have this.

What is it that you seek?

Victory?

You’ll never get it.

Does you wisdom reveal that much?

Your knowledge does nothing to save you,

Your insight ends in death.

We are more than brothers,

Yet we have never been more misunderstood,

And we have never been any more than strangers.

5.25.05