Toothy Grins

Crowding screams fill my head as I stare into the mob

They’re laughing and playing as if they are only just kernels on a cob

All together, everything, is just, right.

But the overlapping voices only leave me with a sense of fright

Where do I go?

What should I do?

Who should I go to?

Someone help me.

Why are people looking at me with strange stares?

Why can’t I move my stiff legs?

The back of their heads grow eyes,

And I can feel the squirming of words in my brain

They wiggle through the tunnels of a maze

But they bite through the walls in desperation

Begging to “get out”

GET OUT

GET OUT

But I can’t escape as they surround me

The exit disappears into the pale gray walls

I want to scream.

But I can hear their whispers starting to form

Are they talking about me?

What are they saying?

Why are they laughing?

Are they laughing at me?

Stop laughing.

STOP LAUGHING.

My vision starts to fail.

Toothy grins blur together into rows of yellow teeth

Starting to bleed into red.

I reach into my insides to see if they're untwisted

But the beating of my heart never subsides.