By Natalie Scott
They say give
us your best smile / fluorescent
white strips away the yellow
stains / the camera lens
is a blank stare / say cheese /
it does not reach
my eyes / I realize smile is not
a real word / I’ll be left
with an imitation of
a smile in red / lipstick
smeared around the corners
of my mouth / a permanent
smile with swollen gums
and crooked teeth / with sunken
cheeks and dimples like fingertips
kneading dough / after all
my muscles have shut
off / I’m destined to die
with a smile plastered
to my face / I smile while
spilling wine / it seeps
across the tiles / a
slow spread of blood.
