Teeth Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

Sometimes my teeth collect gold dust
But it's of no use
Because as it turns out even gold decays
I've smelt that horrible breath
That comes with the beauty
The kind that collects on my tongue
I'm forced to scrape the crust
Until they're white again
Only then can I be free to bare my teeth
When I smile

Over and over I'm forced do the same job
It reminds me of friends
The ones that illuminated my life
And gave me a reason to keep fighting
It reminds me of how good they actually were
Until they were not
Golden eggs don't always have beautiful chicks
Gold on my teeth
Mold in my life