Back when hard-bristle toothbrushes
seemed manly,
a very senior dentist said to me:
keep up that brisk brushing
you’ll be pushing
back your gums, baring
your teeth so you look like
an aging bulldog. He bared
his teeth in a fierce grin,
a snarl that scared.
Young then, I made a mental
note and changed my dental
hygiene (without ever flossing
much, a point no-one
was much stressing).
Old now, lucky to be
here, my bathroom mirror
image grins back at me,
gratified, in truth,
to be so long in the tooth.
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