magic

it all goes so fast
too fast
most of the time
before i know it
another brief year
has come and gone

i find myself
talking about health issues
when it was
just the other day
all of us
then young adults
were discussing
babies getting teeth
little pieces of
emerging enamel
clinking on
tiny spoons on
mother's day
our joy
we thought
complete

now those babies
have babies
and they have
their teeth
in fact they are losing them

"grandma, grandma,"
she said at 3:30 in the morning
"grandma, it came out!"
with that she handed me
the front tooth that
had wiggled for days

and here she was the poster child
for that song we sang as children
"all i want for christmas
is my two front teeth
my two front teeth
my two front teeth
so i can wish you a
merry chrithmas"

how lucky am i
granddaughter waking me
with such grand news

she rolls over
and goes back to sleep
while i search
in the dark
for my wallet
so the tooth fairy
in whom she fervently believes
can place that reward
under her pillow
to be found
at first light

next morning
she proudly shows off
that wide vacant space
in her sweet big smile
and waves her
three dollars in the
holiday air

the price of being
a good tooth fairy
has gone up
since i was a child
50 cents was
the going rate
perhaps the fairy
is in the banking business
these days

it all goes so fast
too fast for me
at times
but time brings
its very special gifts
gifts like seven year old
granddaughters
awaking adoring grandmothers
in the night
to the adventure of
another lost tooth
and with the
wand of her believing
turns her aging grandmother
into a sprite
a tinker bell
an ephemeral fairy
with delicate strong wings . . .

christie smith stephens
for emma anne
and her glorious smile
1/5/2012