Joseph Donato: on Toothache

 

 

 

 

Toothache explores adolescence through the eyes of the mouth; that’s how I explain this chapbook. Exploring the trials and tribulations of my final teenage years through lovely and grotesque oral imagery. Bite-sized poems that make no sense on the surface and less the deeper you look. But they mean everything to me.

I wrote these poems in my first in-person creative writing class. Covid restrictions were lifted and people were crawling out of their homes, reintroducing themselves to each other. Last time I was in a classroom I was a teenager and I returned a grown-up. The transitional period was lost and suddenly I was thrust into a world where people expected me to know what I was doing—and of course I didn’t! That was terrifying.

But that’s no fun to write about. I like weird horror because I can say something painfully mundane and universal in the most dramatic way possible. In this chapbook, I dramatized the death of my adolescence to fictionalize what scared me most. That’s why I’m so thrilled to have an x-ray of my teeth included in the chap; the poems are so outrageous and fantastical that it’s easy to forget that they are, at the end of the day, about me. The x-ray is a grounding moment, a reminder that this strange world is actually the inside of my mouth. It’s mostly a reminder for myself.

I’m often asked: why teeth? Well, why not? I don’t think teeth are given the credit they deserve. If all your teeth fell out of your head right now, you’d be a little cheesed, right? Exactly. They’re important and wonderful and should be celebrated more.

Growing up, my teeth falling out terrified me because it meant I was getting older. I would’ve hot-glued them to my gums if I could. I’m not sure why growing up bothered me so much—maybe I just dreaded endings. Secluded in my bedroom, I didn’t notice my childhood slipping through my fingers until my hands were empty. But as abrupt and gut-wrenching as that realization was, the missed ending may have been for the better. If you’ve read this chapbook and have seen how dramatic I was in the aftermath, imagine how crazy I would’ve been in the moment. We would’ve had a novel on our hands, not a chap.

I’m learning to appreciate adulthood. For example, I ordered Minecraft Crocs the other day without asking for permission. That was an adult purchase. And my adult teeth are much whiter and straighter than my original set, so I’m grateful they’ve pushed through. Plus, I’d look ridiculous as a grown-up with baby teeth.

So, I guess my toothache is gone and I don’t want my cavities back anymore. Woo hoo! I’m sure adulthood will be a breeze!

 

 

 

Joseph Donato is super cool and popular. He is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Block Party, a Toronto-based magazine and press. Apart from writing, Joseph enjoys illustrating, buying CDs, and Tic Tacs. Toothache is his debut chapbook publication.