Magician

At the Christmas party, a corrections officer, performs
for staff. We marvel, awed at the wizard’s wonders,

rabbit out of hat, hankies turned to bras, wooed and
wowed, abracadabra, how does he do it?

In the housing units of officers and prisoners he smiles,
maniacally eyes flickering non-stop, pulls grimaces to grins,

joie de vivre all around, knock-knocks, did you hear the
one about? His key opens the whole locked-downedness

throws gray life off with sleight of hand. We watch the joker,
playing the fool in prison’s palace, afraid we’ll miss a trick,

how his beguiling sorcery converts those we watch
watching him enthralled, an illusion of the Zig Zag Girl,

what is always being hacked apart in here
comes back together captivating

we are clowns of cages laughing
until tears at the juggler

before the Child charms,
enchantment, the best keeper.