WISDOM

a warm spring-like day
a clear blue sky
furry magnolia buds have bravely sprouted
but i am indoors
back in the dentist's chair once again
yet more surgery for my tired mouth
another wisdom tooth needs to come out
i am not at my best
clumsy conversations with the nurses
garbled instructions
no smoking or drinking for two weeks
no hot food or showers for three days
put on the ice pack to stop the swelling
i gargle some chemical-pink fluid
a nurse swabs my lips
the dentist arrives in a flurry of korean
i get the gist and nod politely, forcing a smile
the chair slowly reclines to the horizontal
i am feeling vulnerable
a large needle sways hovers momentarily above my eyes
then sinks deep into my gum
i try and relax and wait for anasthesia to take effect
the numbness spreads like a blanket of fog
a cloth covers my face
a small circle cut out around the mouth
like muslim apparel
the dentist is called away to deal with an sudden emergency
i slip in and out of consciousness
disembodied voices echo in the corridor
drawers open and close
mysterious tools and instruments are assembled
the dentist returns and grips my mouth
the sound of drilling
a smell like burning tyres
the taste of blood
i try to meditate
my thoughts float away
to a fragrant summer garden
filled with birdsong
where fountains bubble
and i can smell the sweetness of freshly cut grass
but the suction machine and drill drag me back to the chair
chunks of tooth break off
at last my masked friend yanks out the root
and stitches up the gaping crater in my gum
the chair slowly returns to the upright position and the ordeal is over
until next time
i apply the ice pack
wonder how i am going to survive two weeks without a fag
in korea they call them 'love teeth'
a misnoma if ever i heard one
did our ancestors need their wisdom teeth to survive
by the time they reached my age?