Sugar Bugs



Sugar Bugs

Sugar bugs are stinky,
Between your teeth they sleep
If you don’t brush ‘least twice a day,
Around your mouth they’ll creep.

Some have long antennae,
That tickle on your tongue
And some have prickly hands and feet,
That crawl around your gums.

They dig and dig till they can find,
The perfect spot to nest
Then nibble on your choppers,
Without taking a rest.

And when they have completed,
Ravaging your teeth
They’ll hunker down to eat dessert
The bones that lie beneath!

The moral of this story is:
Make sure ‘least twice you brush
Or very soon the food you eat,
Will only be of mush.

About this poem

My grandson had his first dental checkup yesterday and the dentist told him if he doesn’t brush his teeth, then sugar bugs will grow in his mouth and eat his teeth. He asked her what they look like and she told him some have long antennae! I understand what the dentist was trying to tell him, but I found it to be a bit over the top. Yuck. Could give young children nightmares! My inspiration for this silliness.

Font size:
Collection       
 

Written on January 18, 2025

Submitted by susan.brumel on January 18, 2025

Modified by susan.brumel on January 18, 2025

39 sec read
50

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXB AXCX XDXD XEXE XFCF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 621
Words 132
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Susan Mayer Brumel

A few years ago, I retired from a thirty-five year career in hospice counseling, at which time I began writing poetry. My poems are influenced by my patients’ journeys, the compelling beauty of nature, and the human condition. A lover of all animals and most people, I enjoy spending time in nature, long walks, and reading Pablo Neruda, Blake, William Carlos Williams, James Joyce, Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Leonard Cohen, and more. Baudelaire tells us to ‘be drunk’ on something every day; I am drunk on poetry and intend never to be sober! more…

All Susan Mayer Brumel poems | Susan Mayer Brumel Books

41 fans

Discuss the poem Sugar Bugs with the community...

6 Comments
  • rameshs.88917
    Wow very informative and knowledgeable master piece.When I go through the lyric,feel as if I should have read the Dentist's prescription earlier so that I could have saved my present gap teeth .The lines are not coming from Scholar of English literature but from a science researcher.Any way ,I too motivated by your instructive suggestions and assured to brush my teeth daily twice.I will share your poem to my students also. Each quatrain expresses depth of meaning in simple words. Congratulations Ma'am. 
    LikeReply 119 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you, Ramesh. So funny.
      LikeReply19 days ago
  • ThembieAngieeMt
    This is such a creative and vivid poem. You’ve captured the dentist's warning in a playful yet slightly spooky way that really brings the sugar bugs to life (pun intended!). The rhymes flow so smoothly, and the imagery is both fun and memorable. I can see how it might be a bit intense for younger kids, but it’s also a great reminder of why brushing is so important. Your grandson must have been both fascinated and amused, what a wonderful way to turn a dental lesson into art. 
    LikeReply 119 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you for your input. It was a fun one to write. :-)
      LikeReply19 days ago
  • philmaund
    Delightfully playful - with a dash of school ma'am thrown in!
    LikeReply 119 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Hahaha. Thanks, Phil. I had to look up what school ma’am means…I was surprised to learn that the children’s dentist, who branded herself the ‘dino dentist’ to attract the little ones, would tell them they have bugs creeping around in their mouths. Yucky! My 3 year old grandson finally stopped having nightmares about wolves! :-p 
      LikeReply 119 days ago
  • ladyygracious
    Well Written Mummy
    LikeReply 120 days ago
  • sharona.reeves81
    fun! needs to be illustrated for a child's book!
    LikeReply 220 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you, Sharona. They might never take a toothbrush out of their mouths after reading it. Lol
      Thanks for the vote too.
      LikeReply20 days ago
    • sharona.reeves81
      most welcome!
      LikeReply20 days ago
    • lbruce12388
      totally agree naked a brilliant illustrated short story for children
      LikeReply 120 days ago
    • lbruce12388
      should read ...make... not naked
      LikeReply 120 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you. I may have to consider it!
      LikeReply20 days ago
    • lbruce12388
      LikeReply20 days ago
  • mark.e.s
    I don't have those. I have pink poetry elephants.
    LikeReply 220 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      But they sound cute! Lol
      LikeReply 120 days ago
    • mark.e.s
      I don't know, I have some sad ones coming up.
      LikeReply20 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Oh! I thought you meant you had pink poetry elephants in your mouth. Sorry, I’m a bit confuzzled. Maybe totally.
      LikeReply20 days ago
    • mark.e.s
      I mean both. I was joking partly about what you printed about being drunk on poetry but also saying that I have some poems on the serious side that I've been reticent to post.
      LikeReply 120 days ago
    • susan.brumel
      Thank you for clarifying. :^)
      LikeReply 120 days ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Sugar Bugs" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 8 Feb. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/210305/sugar-bugs>.

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

February 2025

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
20
days
8
hours
37
minutes

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
A poem in which the first letters of each line spell a word is called _______.
A a sestina
B an acrostic
C an ode
D a haiku