A Brief History of Toothbrushes
Sitting in a coffee shop,
slatted chair back creaking as she chews
on the knock-knock joke of a long ago
eating popsicle.
It’s a hot day.
She says that before the modern
toothbrush, people brushed teeth with boar’s hair brushes,
& before that they chewed on sticks,
& before that even they chewed on fennel stalks
to freshen their breath.
“& before that?” I asked.
Apparently, before that people didn’t eat bread,
or fill their stomachs with refined sugar.
Why she knows the history of toothbrushes
I may never know. Perhaps she wanted
an explanation for why she chewed so long
on knock-knock jokes.
Who’s there?
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