He just read a poem by
a Native American poet
who had cancer of the
tongue and later died
of cancer. He thought
about his most recent
dental exam and the
special light that was
used to detect cancer.
He is cancer-free. He
was sad when he read
her poem about lilies
dying and blooming.
He wanted to cheer
her up by telling her
this pun: Did you hear
about the Buddhist
who refused Novocain
during a root canal?
His goal: transcend
dental medication.
He was so sorry that
he couldn’t tell her
that pun that he
began to cry. She
was only fifty-nine
when she died.