Teeth Outlived
Poem - by Jason Burnham
I’ve outlived my teeth
Which makes it tough to be me
For more than one reason.
I can still breathe fire
I can still fly
I can still roar
I’m still a pretty good dragon.
But it’s hard to speak curses through gums
And charred meat is chewy.
I’m losing weight in my old age, the most important time of life to have a few extra stone.
I could summon my offspring, but they have their own lands to terrorize.
Plus, who wants to hunt with their parents?
And chew their meat for them?
Especially a parent whose cloaca no longer has sufficient tone to hold back flatulence.
Sigh.
As much as it pains me, I’d give up my treasures for teeth
Too bad there are no dragon dentures
No meat slurry blenders operable by claws.
I may just retire to an island
Let the waves wash over me
Dissolve my scales
Let my bones grind down into sand
Become one with the world
What a curse
To outlive one’s teeth.