Oh I showed them the toothpaste all right, I flashed it about late at night,

Oh I showed them the toothpaste all right,
I flashed it about late at night,
But up-and-down brushiri And pokin’ and fussin’
Didn’t seem worth the time-I could bite!
(a) What do you mean by ‘pokin’ and ‘fussin’?
(b) What does the line ‘Didn’t seem worth the time’ mean?
© What trait of the poet’s personality is highligh¬ted by her casual approach to her teeth?

(a) ‘Pokin’ and ‘fussin’ means checking carefully.
(b) The line means that as a child she felt brushing her teeth was a wastage of time as she could bite comfortably.
© Her casual approach to her teeth brings out the poet’s foolishness, laziness and carelessness.