Now I take my turn
again on the Wheel of Fate
which those same monkeys
still manipulate.
Can they see?
Can they hear?
Can they speak?
Yes! They can and
WILL...
Will make this trip
hang for me,
upside down
on the tree
where the barker cries
"Come see the side-show man!"
And every go round
I hear the crowd cry
"Do it again,
you
Mr. Magician, with
the deck in your hand.
Mr. Magician,
you
who control more
than the elements.
count me four.
Four corners
Four turns
Four humors
Four cards
Shuffle through the possibilities
turn the trick for me.
Will it work?
Will I heal?
Will I learn?
Will I see?
Mr. Magician man,
pour the wine
from cup to cup.
Pour the water into wine.
Slice the bread
with your gilded sword,
suspend your staff
above the door.
Let no monkeys imitate.
Prestidigitate!
Take all the coins
from dead men's eyes
pocket them in your disguise.
Then all I see
are charmed displays;
Mr. Magician forcing
four winds four ways.
Out rich fire!
Out cold rain!
Out thick air!
Gone damp clay!
A wave of your hand,
a hocus-pocus shout
a chorus of a hymn:
Then they all reappear
in a porcelain ring.
There seems no beginning
to this spinning,
and no ending as I fall --
only constant
turnings and windings
of the ball.
© Gay Reiser Cannon All Rights Reserved
Gay, your post kept me 'spellbound'...even minutes AFTER I had finished reading--so what did I do? Read it again!
ReplyDeleteAND...bonus! Wondering what I've learned today--nothing?--and then up pops this word from you 'prestidigitation'. And so I DID receive the opportunity!
When one writes as consistently well as you, the problem arises that we expect each time a winning post. You have not disappointed!
LIKE it!
PEACE!
Steve E
you brought some magic to one shot this week..and i agree with steve - you have not disappointed!
ReplyDeleteThere was magic in your words, too. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteAgree with all of the comments above..spellbinding!
ReplyDeleteFun to read.
ReplyDeleteA magical ride of lyrical legerdemain... "Out rich fire / Out cold rain / Out thick air / Gone damp clay" Spellbinding lines throughout the poem.
ReplyDeleteLove, love that pic. Magical One Shot.
ReplyDeletesteve nailed it...spellbinding..you had me at monkeys and then it got magical...wicked word play...nice one shot!
ReplyDeleteI was curious whether the thread of religious symbolism was a) intentional and b) important. Lines like "the water into wine" and "A chorus of a hymn" and "Slice the bread" left me wondering who the Magician might really be, or whether I was just imagining things.
ReplyDeleteBen..not imagining; the symbolism was purposeful. The poem was meant to layer several "religious" sets. The tribal perhaps celtic symbols, overlaid with tarot allusions and finishing with a Christian overlay as though religious thought evolves in what may seem a natural way.
ReplyDeletebeautifully woven, no beginnings as i fall...
ReplyDeletenice one shot ...love the last stanza with the constant turning and spinning of this ball....bkm
ReplyDeleteSnap me out of it!
ReplyDeleteI really liked it, but think that it is slightly uneven. The first stanza is really strong, as are the third and fourth. I especially like the uneven rhyming, it adds gravitas.
ReplyDeleteMagician of words indeed. Love and Light, Sender
ReplyDeleteThis is hauntingly mindful.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful poem that wraps itself around the reader.
Provocative.
Lady Nyo
Interesting One Shot, Beachanny.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your new header photo!
Loved this!!! Now if Mr. Magician can send some magic this way I'd be in my glory!!!!! =D ~ Very well written, much enjoyed...and a twinkle of magic in a smile reading! ~April :)
ReplyDeleteA fantastical submission to One Shot! Loved it--very fun the whole way through, and the picture was splendid as well.
ReplyDelete"take all the coins
ReplyDeletefrom dead men's eyes
Pocket them
in your disguise"........amazing writing.
Great One Shot.
lovely flow of words - i think i am under your spell!
ReplyDeleteThanks for teasing my imagination.
Donusho
Sending all the magic I can muster to all my readers! Thanks for coming by and commenting. It was one of those all in one piece kind of works after I came up with the concept. Wish they were all that easy. I have 6 right now I'm struggling with.
ReplyDeletethis was lovely, Gay..! the upside down part sort of got me thinking of an Indian fairytale of sorts! :D good one shot!
ReplyDeleteMy One Shot Poem - Morning Mist
There seems no end
ReplyDeleteTo this spinning
And no beginning as I fall
Just these constant
Turnings and windings
Of the ball.
magical indeed.
Let no monkeys imitate
ReplyDeletePrestidigitate
Take all the coins
From dead men's eyes
Pocket them in your disguise
WoW!
Dear Gay,
I don't normally put a link to a comment but here is my magician:
http://poemsbyninotaziz.blogspot.com/2010/09/tortured-and-tragic-hero-raistlin.html
Loves
ninotaziz