first kiss

When he first discovered his denturesin the garden, he put themin a glass of cut flowers, watched themsprout water lilies between the teeth.Each flower frightened his wife likea snake asleep in her clay pot.When he smiled, his gumswere pale roses pressed for yearsagainst the fishbowl of her dreams.It was always that way between them,the soft bites underwater, the kissesthat leave a taste for decades in their mouths.