every time i go to the dentist now,
they ask if i want to close the gap
between my two front teeth.
that i’ve always had
and no one said anything before
i was 40 years old.
my grandfather was my dentist
and he must have liked the gap,
because i do.
as a kid, and sometimes now,
i’ll stick something in there.
a dime fits well,
not a quarter.

i say, no, i want to keep my gap
and whoever it is, just shrugs
her shoulders
as if i’m making a mistake.

lauren hutton had a gap that
made her famous.
she was on magazine covers
with a gap between her teeth.
i bet her dentist didn’t ask if she
wanted to close it.

so i’m not perfect
and i’m not on magazine covers.

i love the gap

it makes me smile.