When people tell me they love me,
I say One Tooth
fast
and stretch my lips into a smile.
The wuh sounds like luh
and tooth, drop -th,
sounds close enough to the confirmation
they expect to hear.
On the phone
it is easier to pretend
my mouth is forming the correct words
because if they don’t understand
I can hang up,
sorry bad reception.
I chew the real words
in the inside of my cheek until they are salty metal
rubbed raw.
People don’t like blood and hollow skin
so I let -w sounds widen my mouth
and my tongue moistens my teeth.
No one asks for something they didn’t want,
twice.