Once upon a moonlit night,
The faerie world awake,
From river rose a water sprite
And gave herself a shake.

She rose from river tempest-tossed
To stand on muddy ground.
She shivered lonely, frightened, lost
And slowly looked around.

She took the path on which she stood--
A path forsaken, bare.
She followed it into the wood
And found enchantment there.

It chanced she didn't know it,
But spirits, artists, wrights,
Philosophers, and poets
Were gathering that night.

Their laughter rang out lusty
And their magic drew her near
The sprite, road-weary, dusty
Drank deep of borrowed cheer.

Approaching with discretion,
She tapped with timid care
And found herself enmeshed in
A net of love as rare...

As the humans who had made it,
As the hearts of those inside,
As the magic which betrayed it,
As a light, a lost ship guides.

Thus enchanted was the sprite
That all thought of leaving flew.
As she stayed night after night,
Callahan's shared magic grew

Grew, but still she made a visit
To her river, wandering far--
'Til the magic made her miss it,
Pulled her back into the bar.

Back to Callahan's, ecstatic,
Because sharing joy and pain
Is more powerful than magic
Of the faerie sort, it's plain.

..I know you'll have heard, from days of lore
About witches and fairies and elves
But look inside! See hearts that store
The magic you make yourselves.

-- Elizabeth Kate ELIZABETHKAT August 16, 1999