Heather OC: Week 11 of 208

Snarl

Back a bitch into any corner, and

Her scissor-knife pearls come out.

This is more than a threat. A clamorous,

Brazen carillon; every word

Covered in silted enamel -  coffee

stains and a salad fork chip -

But each is carefully polished,

Floss between white spaces,

A thesaurus. There are so many ways

To say father. Each connotation

A ransom for your love.

Spit through the venom. Do not

Give up and recede into

Tall trees still standing. A coterie

To hide me, my pups, show me

Your teeth, teeth, teeth. Sterilize your

Dental chair armory. Drills

Still and the silenced hiss of

a laughing gas oath.

Every poem a canine bared alarum.

We will not slink away, harridans

To the end and cave secluded.