Sandpaper scales of sharkskin
Were planted in jaws unhinging ;
Neural crest cells on skates
Erupted in wolf snarl,
Stalactite tusks of the walrus,
The bonny smile of first love :

Gates of Heaven, jaws of Hell .
The polished shell with mantle root
Glistens on fairy string
Like trout on a trotline,
A ledger of blood transactions
For juvenile advancement

Into the uncolored world
Pained by the impact of wisdom .
The bud .   The cap .   The bell
Tolls for the rising crowns
High above the continuum ;
The cemented smiles conform .