Wisdom

the tooth has a small crack
            that does not go deep

every tooth has little cracks in it
            the dentist says

the tooth is misshapen, roots curved
            vestigial, prehistoric

the tooth in its wisdom
            has sabotaged a molar

seismic persuasions, gradual erosion
            the molar crumbled in my early twenties

agon of dental
            deep time

fault-lines exposed, fissures grazed
            I face my remaining days.

About the Author
Vivian Kao is an associate professor of English at Lawrence Technological University. She is the 2024-2025 Writer-in-Residence at the Buckham Fine Arts Project, and her first book of poems, Dear Mrs. River-Dragon, is forthcoming from Another New Calligraphy. She lives in Flint, Michigan.