New Poem: Dentist

I had to go to the dentist a few weeks ago. It was

for a crown. The dentist explained to me that it’s

like a false tooth that sits on the wreck of your own

tooth. Fine by me. I went in one day for the ‘prep’

and then a fortnight later for the crown. The dentist

said that it would take quite a time. When I’m at the

dentist I shut my eyes and do stretches with my

shoulders and neck. I go into a trance. I hear the

dentist and his assistant as if they are at the other

end of a corridor. I heard, ‘That’s it.’ I got up, said

thanks and walked out. For a few days I didn’t

think to look in my mouth to see the crown. I leaned

into the mirror and could just make out a tiny clock

face. The dentist had fixed it, face up in the tooth, the

tooth being on the bottom row. I rushed back to the

dentist, went up to the receptionist and asked to see

him. The receptionist said that he had left. He wasn’t

working at this dentists any more.

I said, ‘Look! He’s put a tiny clock in there.’

I opened my mouth. She looked in and said, ‘It

says twenty past five. That’s the right time.’