There’s something quirky about his eyes
They vibrate electric, left right left right
Two butterflies trapped like rats
In almond-round drains that swirl their way
To the top of a dark smile no flashlight could ever penetrate
As he announces that I have 14 cavities
To my 6th-grade brain meaning torture
Beyond anything Olivier could do to Hoffman
14 cavities is not safe, not for a long, long time
And this eye flutterer drills without Novocain, never has, never will
The pain so achingly deep with some of the rot digging
That at times I have cried in bed at night, unable to sleep
And now how many dives into the abyss of my gums will this mean
How many morbid days will I have endure of being dragged back
Like Oliver in reverse: Please, sir, I want no more
My mother, never telling me until we arrive at his office
That it’s time for the six-month inquisition
Because like a dog trapped in a car, nearing the vet’s office
My heart beats a drumroll to doom that common heartattacks cower at
My mother says, 14 cavities, do you know how much that’s going to cost
She agonizing about money
I over excruciating pain and suffering until kingdom come
Lanning Lee 