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Out of Place
by
Paul Hostovsky


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When I see my dentist

in his baseball cap and sneakers

walking down the street like a regular guy


without a probe or excavator

or tiny round mirror in his hand,

no rubber gloves, no hygienist


sitting attentively across from him

anticipating his needs and my needs,

no tasteful prints on the wall,


no Muzak in the ceiling,

no adjustable overhead light--

just the sun shining down on both of us,


and him too far away for me to see

all the little unruly tongues

of his nose hairs sticking out--I don't


recognize him at first,

striding through the world all alone like that

as if he weren't my dentist, as if


he didn't belong in my dentist's office,

as if he had a life outside

my head. That's when he tilts his head


and looks at me askance as if

I were sitting there in his dentist's chair,

and then he gives me a smile that says


he not only recognizes me,

but he recognizes himself inside

my head, where I've been keeping him


prisoner. And he raises a deft hand

and lets himself out

with a wave.


From Is That What That Is (FutureCycle Press, 2017). 
Used here with the author's permission.

 

 

 


Paul Hostovsky starting writing poetry in the fifth grade, inspired by his novelist father. Today, he is the author of more than a dozen books and his award-winning poems have been featured in a wide variety of print and online journals. Paul lives in Boston, where he is a sign language interpreter. Learn more about him at www.paulhostovsky.com.

                                                      

 


Post New Comment:
LindaCrosfield:
I've been on both ends of this one. Love it.
Posted 06/24/2018 08:05 PM
Lori Levy:
Love the humor and attention to detail in this poem.
Posted 06/24/2018 01:40 PM
cork:
Just the other day, my dentist approached me as I exited the Pinedale Aquatic Center, and I was pleased to recognize him and call him by name.
Posted 06/24/2018 11:11 AM
bettiebill:
Well done. A slice of life that rings true for all of us
Posted 06/24/2018 09:52 AM
Sharon Waller Knutson:
Paul, I loved how you showed with description and put the reader in the narrator's shoes. I see my dentist across the street in baseball cap and sneakers and at first don't recognize him because I am in my head back at his office remembering him in rubber gloves probing around in my mouth hearing Muzak, gazing at paintings and a hygienist and it takes his wave of recognition to snap me out of it.
Posted 06/24/2018 09:45 AM
Gilbert Allen:
I'll remember this fine poem when I see my dentist tomorrow!
Posted 06/24/2018 08:56 AM
Charly:
Absolutely perfect. I saw my cat's vet in the dress boutique and wanted to sneak behind onevofvthe racks. HAHAHAHA!
Posted 06/24/2018 08:12 AM
michael escoubas:
Near perfect representation of how things are! Have experienced this many times. Thank you Paul.
Posted 06/24/2018 07:09 AM
rhonasheridan:
A good chuckles I felt this way meeting my doctor in the bus queue!
Posted 06/24/2018 05:18 AM


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