when I was about 13 or 14
my mom tricked the tooth fairy
into giving her all of my baby teeth
... always having the power of persuasion
I am still not sure how she performed such a difficult feat
she keeps them in a jewelry box
in there are some old coins from Vietnam and Korea
antique turquoise and sterling silver rings from Indian reservations
and a Ziploc bag full of my teeth
some of them still have the dental floss wrapped around them
you could tell which ones brought a little bit more coin from the fairy than others
because the roots are still attached, but the most interesting part
is each and every single one is in the box
in their tiny white and dried blooded innocence
even though, I do not have any children of my own, I do not find this to be strange
in fact, I have plans for these teeth that first taught me to chew and bite
40 years from now when I am a very elderly woman
and my mother passes away peacefully in her sleep
with perfectly painted toe-nails with me right next to her side
I am going to remember these teeth
and when I carry out her wishes and put her cremated ashes
in something quirky like a bamboo urn from Tibet
I will take that Ziploc bag out of my pocket and open it with my arthritic fingers
and slowly pour those teeth in that urn and smile
because I know that in short time someone will carry out my last wishes
and I will join her and be reunited my old baby teeth once again
I bet that old tooth fairy will shake her head and realize
that she didn’t know who she was messing with all those years ago
when she made a deal with a petite stubborn red-headed woman
