Steel Teeth
Time and tide wait for no man. — Chaucer
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“Overall your teeth are in good health,” says my new dentist, recommended by several friends and colleagues. “Stained somewhat, though. Probably caused by coffee or tea.”
“Except for breakfast I rarely drink hot liquids containing caffeine,” I tell him.
“There are a bunch of other food items that stain the teeth,” he says. “Beet, fruit juices, most berries, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and the list goes on. Only time’s teeth are immune to staining, and that’s because time, as the saying goes, has stainless steel teeth.”
“That’s quite an intriguing picture. Time having stainless steel teeth.”
“Yeah, isn’t it? Fortunately, time is on our side.”
I glance at him; pale and frail looking, he seems closer to seventy than to sixty. And while the phrase ‘stainless steel teeth’ is mint poetry, time may not be his most dependable advocate.
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*****First published in Spillwords on September 23, 2024.*****
