Samuel Burt

Toothache

Sweetheart, sourkiss, your hot hand
is heavy on my cheek.
With me always, you chirp
like spare change in the pocket
of a well-wisher—
a dull knot of resin humming
where my sweet tooth used to.
You’re cotton candy’s vanishing act
in a pit of black coffee.
My hands were smaller once,
tugging tart green knuckles
from alley apple trees in august,
and sneaking fistfuls
of bittersweets from a pantry
stuffed with twinges of sugar.
I haven’t got the bones
for a life of syrup and tannin,
but honey, I’ve got you all
across my lips, and you throb
so sweet beneath my tongue.

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Samuel Burt is a poet and artist from Iowa, currently pursuing his poetry MFA at Bowling Green State University. A winner of the 2022 AWP Intro Journals Project, Sam's work has appeared in numerous print and online journals, including Indigo, Salt Hill, Arc Poetry Magazine and Empty House. You can find him on Twitter @samburt_burt