The tooth was not chipped but the old

Japanese dentist knew more than most about

the rough edges between incisors and molars

and the shadows of their highs and lows

“Yah, you know, the tongue is

such a curious thing,” he frowns,

drilling the tooth in question smooth

so it won’t continue to preoccupy

my slithering wayward organ

“It wants to find out about everything

within its reach,” he kindly grins

Which explained to me the craving of lovers

for their tongues to explore and their bodies

to become entangled as do the limbs

of flowering trees