Little hard seeds in raspberry jam
Get stuck between canines and cuspids,
Tight as grout,
While bits of spinach,
Tissue-thin,
Adhere with stealth
To an incisor,
And smiling seems to anyone near,
Like the gap of a missing tooth.
Not to render you so self-conscious
That you smile only into your hand,
Or race to a mirror after a meal,
Willy-nilly,
To check on your presentability,
But avoiding chagrin,
You could eat mashed potatoes
And white chicken curry…
And not have to worry.