Belief in Magic
How could I not?
Have seen a man walk up to a piano
and both survive.
Have turned the exterminator away.
Seen lipstick on a wine glass not shatter the wine.
Seen rainbows in puddles.
Been recognized by stray dogs.
I believe reality is approximately 65% if.
All rivers are full of sky.
Waterfalls are in the mind.
We all come from slime.
Even alpacas.
I believe we’re surrounded by crystals.
Not just Alexander Vvedensky.
Maybe dysentery, maybe a guard’s bullet did him in.
Nonetheless.
Nevertheless
I believe there are many kingdoms left.
The Declaration of Independence was written with a feather.
A single gem has throbbed in my chest my whole life
even though
even though this is my second heart.
Because the first failed,
such was its opportunity.
Was cut out in pieces and incinerated.
I asked.
And so was denied the chance to regard my own heart
in a jar.
Strange tangled imp.
Wee sleekit in red brambles.
You know what it feels like to hold
a burning piece of paper, maybe even
trying to read it as the flames get close
to your fingers until all you’re holding
is a curl of ash by its white ear tip
yet the words still hover in the air?
That’s how I feel now.
I believe this poem reflects both the author's cultural and universal perspectives equally. It is easy to spot multiple words, phrases, and meanings in the poem that relate specifically to Dean Young, such as having his heart fail and replaced; however, the poem reflects his universal perspective as well. He references sights and occurrences that are common to the regular human, such as lipstick on a wine glass and burning paper, and these references are what lets the reader see his universal viewpoint. It should be noted, however, that these perspectives play off of each other--he establishes his belief in magic through his universal references, like the reflection of rainbows on puddles, and then ties this belief into his own situation: his failing, and recently replaced, heart.
I chose this poem because, as I read it, I realized a deeper appreciation for the spectacularities and uncertainty of everyday life. This is not to say that I will stand in awe and clap whenever I see my reflection in the mirror, but the poem definitely made me realize that so many incredibly complex, beautiful things happen right before our eyes, and we take them for granted. We grow into huge, complicated organisms from a single cell, shift massive amounts of energy all over the universe, and think nothing of it. Dean Young, however, urges the reader to believe not in the magic of Harry Potter or a magician performing at a 4th-grader's party, but to believe in the magical phenomena of common life.
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