Most people my age

have no teeth at all

but in my case

I did

still they wanted to pull a bunch of them

because they said a man my age

should not be eating Barbeque and tacos

and enjoying food as much as I do

they wanted me on a soft diet

mostly jello and Gruel

so they pulled my teeth

(they like the word "extracted"

it sounds more important)

and so now I have huge holes

in my mouth which collect debris

like popcorn kernels and pieces of Pepperoni

that get caught up there in the attic of my mouth

I think I was better off with my old teeth

maybe they were infected but at least

I did not look like an old geezer when I smiled

and I used to smile a lot

but not anymore

Now I am just a toothless wonder

an old man who writes poetry

with no sense of decency

and no teeth.