Open Wide

To day I am heading for the dentist, not been there for some time
I will stand at the entrance and listen to the doorbell chime
I might even be tempted to turn on my heel and run away
But if I did so I would my trust in her betray

So through the door I will proceed and duly give my name
‘Not seen you for a while’, the receptionist will exclaim
I sheepishly apologise for my protracted absence
And hope that I am nonetheless still a welcome presence

I sit in the waiting room full of apprehension
Surely there is no need to feel such mounting tension
In due time the dentist calls me to the inner chamber
Up on to the sacrificial plinth I tentatively clamber

I have never met this new practitioner before
And she smilingly begins my oral cavity to explore
Mysterious numbers and codes are efficiently called out
Thank goodness the nurse seems to know what this is all about

I look up skywards into the bright searchlight
Hoping there is no need for me to feel contrite
And after a few moments of judicious prodding
She declares ‘some remedial work, and at least one filling’

I am much relieved by this judgment quite benign
And readily the treatment form I willingly just sign
Just two more visits will surely set me free
By then my mouth will have sailed through its M O T!

Ken Fisher