“The Legacy of the Magicians… a poetic fable”

The shadows of the cave and the flames from the crude fire,
play upon the cramped and naked body of the young girl,
her mouth twists in agony, and her sharp cry echoes through the cavern.

An old woman draws a sign upon the girl’s forehead with red-clay paint,
she then blows on a small dark-blue stone, murmuring odd words,
an presses it into the younger woman’s palm to squeeze hard.

A faint smile of gratitude flickers on the young mother’s lips,
and she clutched the blessed stone in her fist with all her might,
knowing that her newborn would live, and she would live to nurse him.

Masked terror stares out from every pair of eyes around the tent,
the sturdy brave young men had been trained to ignore its presence.
Images of their brothers, wives, or parents swam within their taut brains.

The old medicine-man chanted loudly in the smoke-filled chamber,
he drew unrecognizable symbols on the dirt floor with a charred stick.
The sweat of fear and the odor of doubt pervaded the heavy air.

Then the old man looked up and a single flame shot from his fingertips,
piercing through the haze and tension of the tent and lighting his smile.
Victory! He declares to the men, and their hearts beat once again as one.

A coin was exchanged between the hand’s of the youth and the blind man.
The blind priest pressed the small golden coin to the center of his forehead,
and proclaimed that the will-of-the-gods would be foretold that very day.

In due time, for the coin, he gave a small white feather to the youth,
and told him, were he to lay that feather at the feet of his beloved’s father,
the charm would be made, and the father would give consent to the marriage.

The woman was barely aware she was in a theatre and watching a show,
her mind and heart were with her eldest son who’d again entered drug rehab.
She did not want to be entertained, she only wanted her son back.

Then the small golden ball floated up from the magician’s hand, and indeed,
the little sphere seemed to dance to the music of Puccini’s Humming Chorus.
A tear fell from the woman’s cheek and hope was reborn, her son might live.

The man in the back of the hall was focused on the loss of his job that day,
he did not hear much of the story the performer told, how was he to survive?
He was no longer young, his hair silver, would anyone want hire him again.

Then the story being told of the little village who had lost their faith, and their bell,
in the town square that would no longer ring, awakened his attention to the stage.
The magician caused the bell to ring again, the man knew he’d find work somehow.

He’d applied to several universities, but his grades did not promise a scholarship,
he wanted to become a doctor in the worst way, he knew that now, maybe too late.
One more school had yet to respond, would he be accepted into their program?

The magician directed him to take his wallet from his pocket, and look inside.
There beside a few bills and his driver’s license was the Ace he’d chosen.
Maybe, just maybe, that Ace of Hearts would be the luck he needed for college.

Sometimes I think they just pay me to tell stories or make things seem magic.
Sometimes I think what I do is not important, maybe just wastes everyone’s time.
Then I remember the girl in the cave, the brave warriors, and the young suitor.

What I do with my life, and my livelihood, can be traced back to the start of time.
What I do entertains yes, but also can do what the shaman and priest did then.
It can bring a smile, but it may also rekindle hope, heal a heart, inspire greatness.

Walt Anthony, Conjurer & Teller-of-Tales
Corporate Event Entertainment and Motivational Magic
“spinning tales and weaving enchantment”

© 2007 Spellbinder Entertainment

Walt, that was absolutely beautiful! You are one of the few! Bravo!

Bill

Thanks Bill,
I posted this for the "few"
I looks better in MS-Word,
let me know if you'd like a copy.
Magically,
Walt

Very nice Walt.

Beautifully written....thank you for sharing your inspiration, Mr. Anthony.

I actually got a bit choked up!

Absolutely beautiful, I thank you for Sharing.



Mike

Totally Cool my friend. Thank you so much for that! Its going to be a good day after all. (See! Its working again!)

Thankyou...

Samasati...