hitting a nerve

he tells me
about his tooth ache.
he's seeing red
with this tooth.
his jaw is swollen.
but he's in florida, far
from home
where his dentist
could take care of it.
he's opened wide
and looked into
the mirror,
had his wife take a peek.
his son and daughter.
the maid who cleans the room.
have all looked. they
all shake their
heads at what they see.
it sounds bad.
a lot of pain.
it probably needs to
be pulled I tell him.
do you have a door knob,
some string?