Bitter, Bitter Salt--and Bitter!

Doggerel, doggerel, doggerel! I know it! It isn't even true. I had two teeth out yesterday, and two more out on Friday to make room for the braces they thought were fine six months ago. Braces Take Two on Friday--don't blame me if I'm bitter! (First two lines based on 'Bubble, bubble...' )

 

Bitter, bitter salt—and bitter!

Water boiled, and salt—and bitter!

Wide and open, to display;

A wicked instrument comes to play,

Inserts itself into the void

With shove and shrug--I have been toyed!

Denied the pearl between my jaws—

And gone, and gone, for evermore!

And blood and grime and plentiful spout

And numb and empty and permanent pout;

The tooth is gone, and mourn I do

For that which is lost and that which is true.

And then the evil begins again:

The ostinato of curious pain.

Two pearls removed from the quaint display

Inside the maternal oyster where they

Once sat and weaned and smiled and preened—

No harm, no harm, no harm did they.

Now the evil hath been done

And the masked defraud hath won

With that hateful cruel molester—

And left, and left, and left to fester

Was the wound, till round and red

With nothing left that should be said.

All I can say, my tale now through

Is teeth are good, and teeth withdrew

Are little use to me or you.

Bitter, bitter salt—and bitter!

Water boiled, and salt—and bitter!