Too many cups of coffee
too many cigarettes
have stained his pearls
to yellow chiclets.
Call me fickle,
but I prefer their gleam
to the harshness of
fluorescent rows of
selfie sickness’ glows.
Sarah is today’s host of dVerse’ Poetics. Sarah wants us to write about yellow.
For those unfamiliar with Chiclets, go here.
UPDATE: I came across an excellent Washington Post article this morning:
Have you noticed that everyone’s teeth are a little too perfect?
Celebrities and civilians alike are “fixing” their natural teeth. Now everybody has the same smile … and it’s kind of creepy.
by Jessica M. Goldstein
Published on September 14, 2023
I highly recommend everyone read this article. It not only talks about teeth but all of the damage that people do to themselves to give the appearance that they have either celebrity status, lots of money, status, etc. The article talks about our “screen focused lives” where we, “ordinary people” become part of social media with our images, and how it has escalated these procedures.
Read the article here.
I stand by my original preference for Chiclets!
Tao Talk 
Lovely – very sharp!
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Thank you, Sarah!
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You made ms smile, Lisa. We Brits are not know for having pearly whites.
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Happy to make you smile. I love Dennis Waterman in the TV show, “New Tricks” and found this wonderful photo of him last year when I wrote up a review of the series. Also I wasn’t kidding about what I say in the poem!
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Such poignancy in the brevity of your verse, Lisa! Kudos! 💖💖
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Sanaa, thank you very much <3
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Ha… yes those false white teeth never fools anyone.
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I’m glad you know what I’m talking about!
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Haha! Gotta love this, Li. 😀
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Thanks much, Punam :)
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You are welcome.
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I forgot to mention you took me back to my childhood. We used to get chiclets then and suddenly they disappeared completely.
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:)
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p.s. Thanks for the spelling correction on chiclet!
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I don’t know Denis Waterman, but anything to do with selfies makes me feel sad.
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He’s an actor that passed away last year, once known as the sexiest man on television (in the UK.)
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Hmm. If that’s the best they can do…
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As a young man he was quite the hottie.
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I’ll take your word for it :)
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LMAO. Now I have to know who you consider to be the sexiest man on the planet (that I can google and look at.)
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I’m not keen on the newest celebrity males. It’s funny but often their eyes are too close together. I do have a soft spot for Hugh Jackman of the older actors, and for dead actors, you can’t get much sexier than Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. Much more classically handsome than men like Ryan Gosling (whose eyes are too close together and who looks a bit dim).
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(Slightly) yellowed choppers have always seemed more human to me. I see some “perfect” whites that look computer-generated & fake. Nice work, Lisa.
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Eyes are the window to the soul. Teeth are the window to humanity. Your comment is appreciated, Ron.
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Very creative use of Yellow, Lisa. I love it.
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Thank you, Dwight.
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Too much fakery everywhere. (K)
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Quite clever Lisa! Wonder what he thinks of it? ha💞
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Thanks, Cindy. If you mean Dennis, he passed away last year.
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Good one Li.
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Thanks, Sadje :)
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You’re most welcome
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This made me smile. But sad when I read that he passed away last year.
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Thanks, Grace.
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Oh my gosh, this is brilliant, Lisa. I hate those fake white teeth too! LOL!
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Thank you, Colleen. They feel like a mask that is hiding something to me.
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It’s the same for me with botox. Be who you are.
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I’m with you, Lisa, I prefer natural (yellowish) over screaming white teeth any day!
I feel there’s a widespread obsession about looks and “beauty”, reinforced by social media and certain shallow celebrities. Not only is it terribly superficial, it’s also causing lots of damage, especially among young people.
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I didn’t know it was causing damage to young people? Are they etching their teeth with whiteners? To me they are a class symbol, as most people in lower socio-economic classes cannot afford proper dental care. I’m guessing that it is cheap whiteners that are harming teeth?
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I was referring to the obsession with beauty overall, not tooth whiteners (not sure whether they are harmful) and many young people trying to live up to an image of beauty that’s conveyed in fashion magazines or through certain celebrities on social media, who apparently don’t know anything better to do with their lives.
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Oh ok, I see what you mean now. We are sold images in every movie, magazine, social media image, etc. Kids used to have heroes to look up to, but they see their heroes turn out to be rotten role models.
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Bravo on your yellow response
Happy you dropped by my blog
Much💛love
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Thanks much, Gillena. I enjoyed your writing to yellow also.
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Love it. Not feeling so bad about my less than bright teeth after reading this –cheers:)
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Thanks much, Arti. I’m not a smoker but I drink a heck of a lot of coffee.
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If you’re familiar with the television series, Friends, there’s one episode where Ross gets his teeth whitened and it’s hilarious! :)
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I know the series and the people on it but never watched it. My mom loved it and Phoebe was her favorite. Now you make me want to go see if YouTube has it :)
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Those yellow pearlies (or, yes, Chiclets) are the part of our unique selves that got lost in the blinding bleached rain of digital imagos … Lively celebration here.
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This made me smile, Lisa. I know what you mean about the fake white teeth.
(Also chuckling about your exchange with Jane. ) 🙂
And I remember chicklets, too!
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Thanks, Merril!
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You’re welcome, Lisa!
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Yellow, then it must be custard…..
https://brianmackwriter.wordpress.com/2022/09/02/custard-and-creme-anglaise/
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I saw that Washington Post headline but didn’t read it at the time. I (and my son) each had 8 permanent teeth (including wisdom teeth) pulled due to lack of space for them all. Both of our orthodontists said that was a lot easier and cheaper than braces and if we really wanted braces after that, we could have them. Our mouths work just fine, but they don’t look like Selena Gomez. “Perfect” teeth (and lips) don’t look perfect to me.
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The article is informative and articulates things that have been in the back of my mind for awhile beyond the teeth thing. I had no wisdom teeth but my older son had 4 taken out in his 30s. Both of my sons had braces but not because I wanted them to. Their dad (my ex) did it without my consent and then took me to court to make me pay half the cost.
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Very interesting Lisa…I hate fake…I just hate it. If I may be a guy for a second lol…pretty girls to me have imperfections…they look real. Just like we talked about yesterday…not everything has to be perfect and in place… Those teeth that you have to shield your eyes from look so wrong and unnatural.
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Yes they do! They all have that look… like Stepford Wives. They creep me out, whether it is a guy or a woman. I’m glad you recognize something unnatural about it. I hope Bailey uses real people in his movies!
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Stepford Wives! Great description.
Bailey got my imperfection quirk so I’m sure.
He is supposed to be making a video of one of my songs…I need to remind him about that. I wanted to wait to post it because of that. He has a friend who is an actor to do it.
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That is fan friggin tastic, Max. He needs to get going on the video. I want to see it!
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Me to! He is holding me up posting it.
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Very nicely done. And yes, too perfect is just too wrong!
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Thank you, Dale.
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