when no one else is left

were you close?
                             no.

  but that’s not the point.
we were getting closer.

  that’s not the point either.
it’s that no one else is left—

 a last meal
i didn’t know was my last,
didn’t know it wouldn’t last.

now i’m losing teeth, gums inflamed,

 cause i can’t let go,
not brushing or flossing away
 the last little bits,
the plaque that clings.

i know, i know—

 you can’t hold on to the past
that long—

  it'll decay you to
    just a cavity.

and no one loves a hole.