Taut between eardrums
A shrill cord rings in my skull
Still smelling Fritos
A gold filling that had resided in my mouth for almost thirty years popped out while I was flossing recently. The picture above is of my tooth after the drill but before the crown.
About Bartholomew Barker
Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
I’ve liked
although I squirmed
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Excellent! I was hoping for a visceral reaction. Thanks!
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now it’s open season on dental caries
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May you avoid Cavity Creeps(tm).
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Well, that’s what you get for flossing. haha
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Lesson learned!
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The hard way! Ouch! Hopefully the tooth fairy visits you.
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Ouchie … I had a cracked filling replaced last week Bart
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Sorry to read that, Ivor. Hope it wasn’t too traumatic for you. I was fortunate that the local anesthetic did a great job. My only trauma was the unnaturally loud sound of the drill.
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Yes… same for me Bart 😊
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Yuk!
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Yeah but it’s worth it to chew on my left again.
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I was eating a toffee – which pulled away the ‘repaired’ half of one of my back teeth. Don’t want to go to the dentist unless I have to – so am eating carefully on the other side of my mouth – and avoiding toffees!
Reminds me of Peter Ustinov’s ‘Got any cake?’ Story.
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Yet another reason to avoid toffees.
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Oh ouch. Hope the price of gold will pay for the next tooth! ❤️
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I’m trying to decide if I want to sell the old filling or keep it as a souvenir. It outlasted both wives…
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Good poem. The picture…. ugh… it looks like a dirty pearl on a plate of oysters
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Thanks! I’m going to a new dentist and they’ve gone all in with their tech. Never thought I’d see closeups of my molars.
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I will never look at a Frito the same again.
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Yeah, I haven’t eaten any since.
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