At The Dentist Poem by Gert Strydom

At The Dentist



In Springs, Gauteng
where I had just moved
during November 2009
I broke a molar at dinner
while chewing a piece of bread
and opened a nerve and the pain
was so excruciating
that I couldn't close an eye that night.

Not even clove oil,
or tablets that could kill a migraine
was up to it to lighten the pain
and I was almost going insane,
was temped
to write a poem against God
as this was the pinnacle
of all the problems
that had beset me,
but wrote a poem
to honour the Lord instead.

Before first light I was already up,
shaving, showering and got dressed
but could get no appointment
with the dentists
that my family knew about
and even the Medicross Clinic
could not take me
and I went to the government clinic
and even its dentistry department was closed
for that particular day.

Then I prayed and at the library
a black lady told me about a dentist
and he was willing to see me.
In the hour that I waited
in the air-conditioned lounge
I paged through every women's magazine
and travel guide that was there to read,
saw a whole family with father, mother,
small daughter and son
coming for their checkups
before it was my turn.

The dentist took an x-ray
with a device
attached to his notebook computer
applied a couple of painful injections,
suddenly the pain was gone
and then he delved into my mouth
with drills, pliers, a scalpel
and a sucking thing
and the tooth was impacted on the bone
and he applied pressure
with a big pair of pliers,
I heard the tooth break
and he removed bit by tiny bit
while with an open mouth
I was sitting right through it
and sweat was running down my face.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Topic(s) of this poem: dentist
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Gert Strydom

Gert Strydom

Johannesburg, South Africa
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