Poetry

A nick in the sky

In the old days, the darkroom days,
We had to be so careful
Not to crimp the film.
It left a nick, a little sliver of moon,
A fingernail clipping of white,
After everything was dry.

In my student days, long hours in the dark
Rewarded me with cherished tones of gray.
I cried when those nicks appeared;
Damaging my hoped for, dreamed of,
Picture of perfection.

Tonight I walked out of the library
Into a world of pastel beauty.
A sunset of feathers and wisps.
But there -- there, just to the right
Of that stand of trees -- see.
A crimp, a fingernail, a faint white sliver
Nicks my perfect sky.

Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy never came when I was young.
I didn't even miss her.
Didn't find dimes in place of fresh-lost teeth.
Instead, I got colorful badges that said
"You've done your part to keep America secure,"
pushed under my pillow by my uncle,
the one with the red-striped pants.
I suppose my adult teeth still have rings
deep inside, of uranium
from the mines and mills upstream.
Now we have names for the mess they made --
toxic waste and Superfund.
When I was young, they called it progress.

These days we have new fears that haunt us.
The PTA moms and school nurses send warnings home
not to traumatize our kids with fables.
So we never tell them the wonder of getting quarters
Where once rested baby teeth.
We're also warned not to mention jihad.
Or homework. Or lima beans. Or heaven forbid,
The most dreaded monster in the closet:
The word "no."

The tooth fairy never comes for my children.
They don't even miss her.

Lost my wallet

Lost my wallet. Look around.
On the sidewalk, on the ground.
In the pockets of my coats.
In the toilet. Hope it floats.
In the bedroom 'neath the bed.
In the closet. Seeing red.
In the drawer, slammed my thumb
How could I ever be this dumb?
Wrack my brain, thinking fast.
Where do I know I had it last?
Check the car. Where are my keys?
Don't be with my wallet. Please.