Unoiled Poems | Examples

Gnashing of Teeth

       the fire's out.
the hearth is stone cold.
         even the wick was spent.
the ominous echo booming off
the walls was enough 
to rattle the door with an unoiled hinge

winds whip like a raging winter storm
trees snap like toothpicks.
ice build up on knees
                 it's the gnashing of teeth
sawing through bone on flint.
a pathetic attempt to spark.
   no bargaining.
           no salvation.
nothing but the grind
when there's no more jaw to chew

crowns tumble onto the floor
only to reveal seeds.
biting into the fruit,
kicked out by the stone.
rolling back alone
all of the lies that you told?
it's time to pay the foul

         a debt.
              a regret. .
                  it's the gnashing of teeth
d  i  s  c  o  n  n  e  c  t  i  n  g.
decaying friendship.
             the loneliness
scraps of jagged salt meals
you'll never eat

did I leave that stove on?
no, don't think about that

it's just grinding 
         with no oil.
gums begin to tear
as you realize
that you've been biting
              your tongue
the whole time....

         damn!