stop rejecting
the flowering of dissent
in your mouth
if you are critical
criticize
don’t let Pollyanna
“if you can’t say something nice
say nothing”
rule your teeth or
break your bite
express what is real
if it is bitter
better that
than swallowing
the disturbance

my own mouth having been
a nettle patch for years
I know how it hurts
to hold thorns inside
they were meant to sting others
so let them sting

someone’s going to tell you
I suck for speaking of this
in truth
I do suck
blood from wounds
but only to stay alive
and know how 
blood tastes so I
may know my own flavor
in the juice of another

if you’re made for this
evolution is at play
deny the species your adaptation
and it dies a little
who are you to judge
the cosmos
if something pains you
offends
kills
call it painful offensive
killer

call it dumb if it’s dumb
oversmart if it’s oversmart

call it out
and see it in sunlight
twitching
you’ll be hated for it
but that’s 
your job