Everyone loves the magician
Performing magical tricks
His hands moving through the cards
"Take your pick,"
He says with a flick
Of an elegant wrist
And everyone would applaud
He was a god!
Never revealing how
As he took a humble bow
And smiling when people came
But they left so quick
He was a candlestick
And people were his wick
Without an audience
To fuel his performance
He was filled with all consuming emptiness
Loneliness
People stared in awe
At the man on stilts
Standing tall
Smiling down at them all
But from that high
Towering higher than the sky
Nobody could see the tears in his eyes
Or the way he sometimes leaned awry
One more inch
From plummeting
To a painless
Blackness.
Everyone loves the performer
Swinging across the crowd
They all cheered quite loud
And, of course, she felt proud
But what's the point in swinging
When all it's bringing
Is the desperation to let go
And know
Someone would be there to catch you?
For the magicians final act
He walked into the crowd
He pulled out a card
It was a king of hearts
And written across it in black ink
In large letters
Was GOODBYE
As he disappeared
In a swirl of doves and blood
The stilt walker walked
Into the middle of the crowd
And for his final step
He waved at the people
Wet eyes
Tired eyes
And
Let
Go
The performer smiled at the crowd below
And swung across the stage
But her heart was elsewhere
As she saw a beautiful man let go
And she too released her bars
Soaring across the stage
But there was no one there to catch her
And while the crowd gasped
And screaming echoed and rasped
Three figures slipped out
Into the crowd
Hands entwined
Hearts combined
Faces lined
And happily resigned
As they twirled
And sang
Their voices rang
And filled the air
With real beauty
Real harmony
To an unheard melody
Real tragedy
Real Magic.
