watching our parents grow old, sitting on the fence
pick a side
any side

grass is there
a bug is there
hair falls from my sister's tongue
and I know it's mine so I smile

then our parents watch us grow up, fall off the fence
my insides choose their sides
my sister cries and
for a second I almost admit that I closed my eyes in the thick

but

when we let our milky fingers
find their own,
they never let us down,
and they never take us home.

there is a home
in my mouth,
tick-tock, tongue
tick, tock, hum.

hello toothache. you know how I moan?
I moan for me, toothache.
I would be the only one.