Teething

I wonder if we were destined
for more than Styrofoam plates
and buying one meal at a time.
We swallowed all we could
of this place in one gulp,
forgetting the future;
we starved to get out.

The vacuum sucked our thumbs like
we were faceless infants
with little air to begin with.

We dyed our hair
and covered our faces with plaster
because Daddy said it was time
we started taking care of ourselves.
But nobody told us how to grow,
so we clutched what we knew
while our bodies went on without us.

You told me I covered it up well.
I never did know when you were telling the truth.