paint from my teeth

By Abby Karstrand

The paint on the ceiling creates crunchy bubbles

Water damage accumulates over time

But not that much time

From my seat I can see the delicious gaps between the paint and dry wall

I pull a step stool directly under the water stain

And reach my fingers up to the ceiling

Into the ceiling

And the paper-like layers of paint 

Crack

Under such a light pressure

And crumble

Covering my fingers in flakes

I press into the paint

And use my finger nails to scrape it off the ceiling

Feeling the flakes gather

Kind of sharp, but not stiff enough to hurt me

When I rub my fingers together, the flakes turn into dust

I bring my hands to my face and examine

And eat the paint flakes

The particles get stuck in my teeth

I run my tongue over

Trying to dislodge

Paint from my teeth.

Paint mostly tastes like dirt

A pretty neutral flavor

Then I brush

Decide to floss

Undo the damage

And wear lipstick when I’m alone.