mike the magician
worked the dark
barroom, making certain cards
disappear or
stick to the ceiling with
patrons' names and
dates written on them,
slicing through the
chalky smoke with
his razor-quick hands.
he came up to our table and
made the four nines
of a deck change into
the four queens, in a sealed box.
but he slipped and one
of the cards fell
onto our table, after
he turned it back to
the nine of spades, and
i could see the
black queen peeking
out from underneath.
he picked it up
quickly and i don't think
anyone else noticed.
but isn't that
how it is:
just when you find
something that makes you
forget it all,
that entertains you
and makes you
happy you're sitting in
the dim corner
of a bar drinking
with your friends,
it's dropped on the table with
the queen of spades
showing and you see that
there's nothing
you can do about it.
–published at Ugli Coyote's Lair