It was her first time ever going to the dentist

It felt like going to the Olympics 

All those years of being on the street

She finally won 

Won the lottery 

Her first stop was the dentist

She went for the apprentice 

Because she wanted something unspeakable 

Something to prove the unbelievable 

That she was now wealthy 

So she was somewhat stealthy 

While she reclined in the dentist’s chair 

She didn’t mind her hair

Asked the hygienist, very specifically, “Will you save me what you find?”

The professional was perplexed 

But prepped for what was next

Years of neglect on some beleaguered enamel 

Cavities the size of camels 

Coffee stains

Who was to blame?

The hygienist scraped and chipped, flossed, and picked

A small mountain of plaque 

The woman said, “I’ll take that!”

The dentist laughed

That once homeless woman in a few hours shined 

She walked out of the dentist office with Invisalign

But something more

Something she always wanted

Plaque

Assembled altogether as a plaque 

At home, on the wall, is where she hung it 

Something she’d never had 

She put her new toothbrush in a bag 

Planned to give it away to someone else in need 

Her smile was finally bold

The dentist, not the lottery, made her feel like gold