comfortable silence- a collection of poems

tree of life (20 teeth prompt)

in a field,
twenty teeth were found,
accompanied by a small silver locket
and a glass bottle of your tears.
upon closer inspection, you find
that the teeth fell
from your mouth
years ago,
and have since softened.
giving every last bit of fight
giving all the aggression
giving memories of sweets
and strawberry syrup
and near cavities
to the brand new sprouts.
the locket is your mother's
from her 16th birthday.
the pictures are bits of her hometown-
where she thought she'd
stay forever
swearing she'd never have kids.
the bottle is full
of every time you crumbled,
salty and breaking
off into rivers, streaming downward.

the field breathes life.
long strands of grass
sway in soft breezes
like the first girl you slow danced with.
your movements were clumsy
and you stepped on each other's feet
but it was real.
you haven't felt that genuine since.
the field breathes life.
plant your baby teeth like seeds.
watch
as chain writhes into dirt.
deeper.
deeper.
these are your roots.
water this land with your grief
and turn it into something beautiful.
you don't forgive your mother.
that's okay,
but keep it in your mind
that she was once much like you.
you hate thinking about your youth,
you were pulled apart
meat from the bone,
but your smile is still here.
the field breathes life.
the human brain
experiences 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts
in a day.
breathe in life.
root. sprout. water. grow.

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