erosion (poem to my dentist)

my bitewing's on the lightboard
while you peruse it
notch by notch

then fix your eye on me severely
with your monocle

it takes nerve to come here
and be admonished for not
flossing enough

i'd like to explain it isn't laziness
but something else

that i am the kind to do homework
that isn't required

to talk to plants to help
them grow, but any excuses
would come out garbled

and indecipherable
with your hand wedged in my mouth

peeking under the petticoats
of all my teeth,

probing the guilty bicuspid
until it triggers an ache,

poking harder than would be necessary
and you know it.

should we ever have a falling out
i will bring this up.