you're overdue again for x-rays

i ask

the dentist why so many x-rays.

every other

visit

is 400 hundred dollars

plus two

hundred

for cleaning

and making my gums bleed,

nagging me

about flossing,

and grinding my teeth.

and for what,

there

are no cavities,

no issues to be dealt

with.

i lie there with the lead

vest in my lap

and listen

to the click click click

of the x-ray machine.

it sounds

like the meter

in a cab lost in New

York City, then I peer out

the window

at the new Land Rover,

she owns,

pristine and clean.

it's all very clear now.

cha ching.