Toothless, by Lisa Molina

Famine, by Marian Spore Bush (USA) 1933

Toothless

The bird has lost its teeth.

Beak flayed open now
as blades, to tear out
the teeth of those deceased.

A sacrifice offered by
those with soft, swollen
gums in the grave.

For they understand
the insatiable hunger
and desperation of

the now-toothless bird, and
still feel the desire to chomp and chew on the life they once knew.

The bird has found its teeth.

Lisa Molina
​
This poem first appeared in Rat’s Ass Review.

Lisa Molina is a writer/educator in Austin, Texas. Her digital chapbook Don’t Fall in Love with Sisyphus, was launched by Fahmidan Publishing & Co in February 2022, and Molina’s next chapbook, in print, will be published in March 2023. Her flash fiction piece “Young Man in the Moon” was recently named a Finalist in the 50 Shades of Blue Contest held by The Ekphrastic Review. Her writing can be found in numerous journals, including The Ekphrastic Review, Beyond Words Magazine, Sparked Literary Magazine, Neologism Poetry Journal, Trouvaille Review, and Amethyst Review.