Those minerals erupting
from maxillae and mandibles
show our roots to the hard
earth that will not yield
to soft circumstance if it
can manage—like these choppers
and mashers above and under
food for more than just thought
that often bites back
with acid or crunch
etching the enamel
or cracking the crown
so requiring repair
to those bone-cousins
of calcium and other rocky
concerns not so resilient
as these cakes and crackers
springing back into the maw
as they must if the mouth and
all behind maintain that line,
bowstring-taut to that bedrock
from which ridge and flesh burst.
John Zedolik has been an adjunct English instructor at a number of universities in and around Pittsburgh. He has published poems in such journals as Aries, The Bangalore Review (IND), Commonweal, FreeXpresSion (AUS), Orbis (UK), Paperplates (CAN), Poem, Poetry Salzburg Review (AUT), Third Wednesday, Transom, and in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In June of 2019, he published a full-length collection, entitled Salient Points and Sharp Angles (CW Books), available on Amazon. John’s iPhone is his primary poetry notebook, and he hopes his use of technology in crafting this ancient art form continues to be fruitful.
