enamel (time enough)

smiling doctor mark informs me
every six months, give or take,

that the grooves in my molars
come from my hands. it's my fault.

i grip the brush too tight.
i dig the bristles in.
i try too hard to scrape away
the day before i sleep at night.

odd to consider the toothbrush
that most useless of cleaning tools
can--given time enough and hands
too persistent, too rough--erase

the enamel of my teeth.
harder than bone, they are.
i read somewhere that i
(hypothetical i at least)

could chew through my wrist
if i needed to. a persistent
back and forth, a wearing away
of parts. it's all about a willingness

to meet the coarse material
of life with a spirit of resistance.
it's all about a willingness
to work at what needs working.

to kill what needs killing.
it is never too late to start.
with time enough
we can erase any mistake.