He spit out broken teeth
Over a kitchen table:
A lapse in depth perception
As he chased the falling ladle.
He ran his tongue across the
Remainders, up to the dripping gum.
He calculated three teeth lost
And head-shook,
“Done is done.”
He wiped the white shards into his hand,
Excused himself (bowing quickly),
Threw them into the bathroom can,
Then looked to the lit mirror, sickly:
“Oh, ssser you are,”
he said to himself,
As he spit some red down the drain.
“We could have let that ladle fall,
But had to go chasing—Again.”
As he drove himself to the hospital,
The rear-view glass caught him staring
And shot back,
“It's not so bad to chase,
We just need to start off
by preparing.”
So he woke up from the surgery.
The doctor was smiling softly,
“Here's a hand-mirror; care to see?”
“Myself? Not yet.
I feel awfully—”
Doc laid down the glass,
“Of course,”
And left. Then the man took hold of the thing:
“Firtht,
imagine
what you will thhhee,”
he whispered,
And steadied his gaze
like a king.
Ah, I gummed the pun of the title for a while before I got it…. I have a hard time with mouth injuries (and the dentist, which makes appointments fun) so it was stomach-turning, but I did really enjoy how the dialogue was affected in this poem. The consequences of a risk unplanned for are major, but the speaker just brushes it off and is very independent in taking care of themself. I wonder if I could hold it together that well, or if I could steel myself to adjust to such a major change with as much nobility. I’d like to think I’m pragmatic, but I do rely on my circle of friends and family, and couldn’t excuse myself from their gaze as well. Has the speaker detached himself from his image (the “we”) in order to make it easier to cope? That’s a thing that happens a lot with body image and confidence--you are not your body, or your thoughts, etc.
ReplyDelete"We" = him + his reflection.
DeleteThis poem is one of the most humorous poems on the entire blog for me personally. The way in which the entire antecedent situation appears to be a simple accident in a kitchen, in which someone decided to dive after a falling ladle, only to suffer a tragic accident is a departure from many poems which are based around serious situations, such as the reality of life and death or romance. This departure from expectations makes the poem feel much more unique and genuine, as the mundane nature of the poem’s story makes it feel much more personal and relatable than a poem centered around a cliche and worn out poetic trope. The way in which the speaker’s situation is conveyed is also amusing, as there is a mix of the speaker’s actions in the wake of the accident, as well as humorous quotes from the speaker which capture the immediate impact of the accident, with the somewhat trivial and humorous effect on his speech mirroring the lighthearted nature of the accident which has just taken place. The ending note of the poem is interesting, as it captures that feeling of attempting to remain stoic in the face of something which clearly has great emotional impact associated with it.
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