Once I learned
George Washington’s
wooden teeth
were not maple
or ash
but created mostly
of teeth yanked
from the living mouths
of his slaves
and that in his life time
he required
four sets of these
strange dentures
fitted with some ivory
brass and gold
I knee-jerk wished
he choked to death
on a cherry pit
after he returned
to Mount Vernon
from Fort Duquesne
even with the consequence
we would still hoist a pint
in salute
to the English crown.
copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney
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