Dead Tooth

By Charles Lawrence

Being 8 years old
You tend to fall in love
On the Playground
Very easily
Nikki was my first love
Nikki had a dead front tooth
And it fascinated me
I stared at Nikki's dead front tooth
Wondering why her parents didn't get it fixed.
Did they not have enough money?
When she smiled, she smiled wide
The rest of her teeth were bright white
Except for her one dead front tooth
I wanted to kiss her
Gently on the cheek
But I didn't want to get too close
To her dead front tooth
I saw Nikki years later
Her dead tooth finally fixed
I told her a joke
And she smiled
Her dead front tooth
Gone
I was happy for Nikki
To be rid of that dead front tooth
Still I wished I'd kissed her
That day on the playground
Maybe we would be together today
Were it not for her
Dead front tooth