comedians & magicians

from the first light that glows upon
the single stool, glass filled with the
comedian’s drink of choice, all
set next to one mic alone,
there is nothing but anticipation in
the room,
no matter how dank,
no matter how drunk the audience is---
the comedian promises
at least the possibility of smiles &
laughter.

this we know,
because we have laughed at jokes before &
it feels good to laugh,
it makes us smile &
as humans, our stress goes away,
if only for those brief moments,
when we are captivated by the mastery of
wit, which the brilliant comedian
wields.

now a magician,
one who does not rely on props,
one who does not promise to make landmarks
disappear,
one who deals strictly in the street,
one who works with deception with the sole intention
of amazing us &
opening our eyes wide with
wonder.