the tooth fairy

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