Thandoe Clio

Coming of Age

Many, many moons ago, the human body would develop the wisdom tooth as a way of compensating for the wear and tear owing to the rough diet. At the time, the provision was necessary to help aid the overworking molars and premolars to ensure the rest of the body still enjoyed both the pleasure and the benefit of chomping on raw meat and barely ripe fruit, or whatever it is our ancestors nourished their bodies with. As nature always decides, the teeth would cave and crown, almost like an infant at the ninth month (or whenever it’s ready to make its grand arrival, really), when the time was right. When the good old ones had held the fort for as long as they could and chewed on bones fingers couldn’t count and memories made turned so faint stories about them were no longer being told. Their arrival was just in time for the shift change, when the little boys were becoming men and little girls were coming of age.