Charlie Quayle
TEETH
i’ve been biting my nails
since before i could speak
fingers in my mouth
long before words
anxious since birth
i entered this world
ready to chew
my own body apart
i’ve always been a wolf
but i’m growing tired
of gnawing at
crescent moon nails
so i’ve started to paint them
with hard clear polish
but i cannot change
the howl caught in my throat
my nails are growing in
but now blood dries
in the teeth marks
on my cracked lips