Cliffhanger - Aug 31 2022

 

Cliffhanger

Aug 31 2022

The no-nonsense dentist

and his pleasant assistant

talk over top of me,

technical jargon

some reassuring words

idle chat.

I am recumbent.

The smudged sunglasses

everyone is handed

pinch my nose.

My cotton-stuffed mouth

can only grunt

swallow uncomfortably.

The dental drill

-- a shrill high-pitched instrument

with a sound like medieval torture

but I'm still thankful for --

hovers over me;

the dentist's flushed face

looms close.

There is no pain

just the thought of it.

But there is the slightly burnt smell

of precious enamel

spattered and vaporized,

the peppermint breath

of my two masked assailants.

Strains of classic rock

filter in

from overhead.

My neck stiffens,

fingers grip the armrest,

toes anxiously twitch.

Will the freezing hold?

Will the tooth be saved?

Will his sure hand slip?

But I submit,

because there is nothing to be done

and nowhere else to be.

A lifetime of teeth;

sweet corn

rare beef

good eats.