Spells and Tricks

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

I could take a coin from behind your ear
shake a spoon until it bends elastic
make cards spin and float and swing around

but you would know and suspect and guess
there was glue or string or some other trickery
and you would smile and expect nothing else of me

So what of Jesus and the spirit-angst synagogue man
some ancient incantation tossed out like streamers
then release and freedom and the enchantment is done

But say your mind was broken in three places
and I said be healed and know love 
and comfort trickled down from hair to heel as oil

Say your tumor grew from the last banging scan
and I held you and dripped tears on your shoulder
together we stared into the death in both our eyes

until it didn’t matter or it did but not with such aching
then the spell of be healed and of course know love 
and you were whole and embraced even malignancy

then maybe you would know that magic words work
and we are not fools to trust the magnanimous universe
the hidden strings and soulful glue and trickery of love