Paper Magic

By Cliff Lake

Paper Magic

 

The scowl now never leaves his face,

As the magic begins to fail him.

Fakery once so easy,

Shorn up now with vapid demonstration.

Heads of state receive him,

So that they may lie to each other face to face,

Making promises sturdy as glass.

He frantically moves the pieces on the board,

But he’s also been seen eating them.


Governments willingly pay,

For the loftiest of explosions.

He keeps the company of charlatans,

For he understands them well,

Translating nonsense,

Into relatable gibberish.

He has been called wizard,

But he only has the hat,

And an oversized purse.

 

He has made grand announcement,

And many the cryptic remark.

He makes agreement with the outrageous,

Basking in the uproar of absent apology.

He is servile to men of empty intention,

And emptier coffers,

For he knows the value of paper,

With which he has been bought.

 

He can no longer hide behind,

The cloak he has torn to tatters.

What he has left to sell has spoiled,

And is eaten through,

By the vermin he invited in.

The tower he constructed of sand,

Crumbles beneath the weight of his hubris.

He has been called wizard,

But he only has the hat,

And a leaking purse.

 

Cliff Lake 11/30/2023

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2023

Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

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