My Father’s Black Magic
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My father carried a black bag
bulging with the magic of his trade —
powders, ointments, penicillin pills —
to coax an ailing patient back to life.
But at home, where doctors cleanse their minds
of their day’s darkness,
Father came to life.
Card tricks, rope tricks, tricks with pencils burst
from a bag of black magic
carried just for me.
I was not patient, begging him to teach
in one night every feat
he had perfected.
For hours, spellbound,
we’d restore split ropes,
my slight hand mimicking
his sleight of hand,
his proud eyes mirroring
the glint in mine
each time I almost
looped a little knot
or halfway hid a card
in my small palm,
until, numbed by the black magic of night,
I fell asleep, half-hidden
in his arms.
More love, magic, and wonder await! Enjoy more poetry and fiction right here at the MockingOwl Roost.
- Birth of a Dream – Narrative Poetry
- Good Versus Evil – a Fairy Tale
- Typewriter – Poetry
Lynn Hess
Lynn is a retired middle-school teacher who loved her work and who, for thirty years, also conducted weekly poetry-writing workshops for students in grades K through 8. An educator, a mother of two and a “nana” of three, Lynn especially loves writing poetry inspired by children. Lynn's poetry has appeared or will appear in journals including Spoon River Quarterly, Aeolian Harp, Red Eft Review, Monterey Review, Discretionary Love, and others. Where Tigers Roar in Silence, a book of poetry for children, was published by Lime Rock Press.
