I Feed My Child's Teeth to The Peach Tree - Matt Mason

As a tooth fairy,

I am stealth,

my arm

like a snake

pushing down into mattress

so as not to lift her pillow,

and this

is not a persona poem,

it is a parent poem,

I keep myths alive

by switching her tooth

with a Sacajawea dollar

without waking her,

magic

trick

like a tablecloth

snuck

from out under china and wine glasses;

these teeth

are part of her,

I can’t bring myself to throw one in the trash

like a broken cup

or store it

in a mint tin

until it turns

to dust:

It’s a chip

from what I love.

So I give it

to the peach tree that I planted

by our house.

These bones grow

into land

that we live on, flow

as a leaf, a blossom, sweet fruit:

we take small gifts

from this earth,

and we give small gifts back

in this patient

conversation

lifetimes long.

Poetry