behindtheax

at the dentist

In the waiting room of the dental office this morning I sat down in a chair directly in front of the window. The morning sunlight spilled in over the top of me, drenching me in warmth that was welcoming after a cold, breath-visible walk to the place. As I waited I reached in my knapsack and pulled out “Unless”, the book I ‘m currently reading, and cracked its sleek spine, opening it to the page I had last left. The sunlight divided the page diagonally leaving the upper half of the printed words boastful and vivid. It gave homage to them. I read for a short while trying to distance myself from a man’s deep voice conversation with the receptionist and of course the sound of a drill. At one point I pulled a Kleenex from my pocket because the cold walk had caused my nose to run slightly and when I did the dust particles from the Kleenex or my pocket or a combination of both rose up around me and swirled in this patch of sunlight. I watched these small particles in their moment of movement, half in awe of their gentleness as they lived briefly in the light. I was nervous as I always am when visiting a dentist, even if it was only for a cleaning and check up, but I happened to be very lucky this morning because I sat in sunlight and it handed me calm.

posted by mary j. @ 1:03 PM