Realities? I Honey Child And Mom and Dad and Older Brother Had come all the way To Grandma's House. Restless from a day of travel, The children wanted to explore While the adults talked Of boring grown-up stuff. "The woods out back are safe enough As long as the kids stay together And don't wander away from the path And come back when I ring the dinner bell." Mom and Dad reluctantly agreed. While Older Brother would have preferred to go alone, Exploring the woods with Honey Child was still better Than not exploring the woods at all. So off they went. They never agreed on what it was That Honey Child found Beside the path Deep in the woods Just before the dinner bell rang. For her it was a dead fairy With wings that glittered rainbow colors When the sunlight hit them just so. He saw only a lump Of formless forest mould With a piece of aluminum foil or something Stuck in it. It couldn't be a fairy Because he was too old to believe in fairies And besides, Fairies were sissy girl-type stuff. He tried to dissuade her, But she insisted on bringing it back. II When Honey Child showed her find to Grandma Grandma couldn't really see it. She started to say so, but then remembered A trip to the seashore When she was Honey Child's age. She had found a baby mermaid Washed up on the sand. But then the withering scorn Of all those grown-up uncles and aunts and cousins Had turned her mermaid into a pile of smelly old seaweed. Ever since then she had been afraid To look too closely At anything that might be magical. She gave a noncommittal "That's nice" And advised Honey Child Not to show it around To the other grown-ups Lest their scorn and disbelief Turn it to formless forest mould With aluminum foil stuck in it. III Maybe Older Brother told Mom and Dad, Or maybe they found out some other way. They ordered Honey Child To throw that dirty stinky mess in the garbage. Honey Child refused. Grandma proposed a compromise: Honey Child could keep her treasure For the rest of their stay at Grandma's House But was not to try to bring it home. She put it on the table by the children's bedroom window. IV That night when Grandma helped put Honey Child to bed She turned out the light And noticed the moonlight Shining in the window On Honey Child's clump of formless forest mould With aluminum foil stuck in it. Had she been hoping to see something different? The next night When Grandma turned out the bedroom light And glanced over toward the clump Of formless forest mould She wasn't really sure what she saw there. Mermaid memories More than half a century old Filled her eyes Too full of tears. The night after that she was certain: While it was still formless forest mould by day Or in the harsh glare of the table lamp, In the moonlight it was indeed a fairy with rainbow wings, The colors barely visible when the light hit them just so. V The next night was to be their last Before returning home. Mom and Dad asked Honey Child "Should we throw that mess of yours in the garbage tonight Or do you want to do it in the morning?" Grandma answered for her: "It isn't going into the garbage at all. Instead we will have a Fairy Funeral. Tonight by moonlight Honey Child and I Will lay the corpse to rest In this little cardboard box I found. Then by the first light of dawn We will dig the grave By the edge of the woods Where the lawn mower never goes. Then we will mark the spot With bricks left over from that patio project. It won't take long, And won't disrupt your travel plans. Those who do not wish to attend Do not have to. But if you do, please show respect." VI Once again Grandma remembered her mermaid But this time it didn't hurt like before And she somehow knew That she would no longer be afraid To look at things that might be magical. -- Tom Digby Written 22:39 Thu March 5 2009 Title Added 19:58 Sun March 29 2009