your burnt siena
abrasion on my gums
i want to be ignited
let that stiffstuff suffocate my veins
until termites burst through my stitched-up scabs
from those many gum surgeons
operating on jaundiced teeth
now every time i floss i bleed
i feel the ticks poking out to get a taste
sucking me dry wrinkling my flesh
leaving openings to be plugged up
my arteries thicken
it feels so good to slowly die
to watch my spidered body wither
to move beyond the bone
Check out more of Bella Stevens

Bella Stevens (she/they) is a writer and visual artist based out of Richmond, VA. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Messenger and Virginia Literary Review.
