there are mornings i envy my dentist
her known pathways
root canals            her
plastic protected hand upturned
to receive the scraper
 

that’s a lot of plaque
do you remember to floss daily
 

she hovers over the jeopordised pearls
to save or replace them
the tongue she holds no store by   nor
the body
pressing its live tip to the opposite side
she’s working on
 

my work’s tending an internal tongue
wet animal in folds of skin
salting memory