Magic

no one disappeared
or appeared
or walked though walls
or levitated
or healed the sick

no one sawed the neighborhood girls in half
and left them unharmed
or pulled white rabbits or chickens or doves
out of top hats or boxes or caps or capes

the only magicians I ever knew
were the neighborhood kind
the kids who knew some cheap trick
about putting a quarter in a wooden slot
and saying it disappeared

or something on television
(which can't be trusted)
where people flew
and disappeared
became sick and well
and injured and healed
at the will of plot

but this is not magic
any more

it is all camera tricks these days
that change our sense of wonder
into a sense of wondering
how they did it

we burst ketchup packets and called it blood
stabbed swords into our sides
held them there with our elbows
played games on Atari 2600s and C64s
where the characters died
once, twice, three times before it was finally
game over

Not like real life
where the game can end at any time
bolt from the blue
and no laying on hands
or do-overs
can save you
now.