Magical Ambitions
Listen to Jonathan and his assistant ...
I wish I could do magic.
Real magic,
Like actually make something disappear
Rather than just rely on misdirection and sleight of hand like magicians on TV.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
But let’s get one thing clear,
I don’t want to be able to do all types of magic,
Especially not the being-able-to-make-yourself-invisible
Or cast-powerful-spells
Or control-someone-else’s-mind
Types of magic.
Because then I’d basically be a superhero,
And I don’t want to be a superhero.
I’d never get any time to myself.
I wouldn’t even be able to watch a film,
Not even a short one,
Without someone begging me for help.
Can you imagine?
“Jonathan - Ten lions have escaped,
Near an old people’s home,
And they’re all really hungry,
And old people are their favourite food.”
You can’t say no to that, can you?
But,
If all I could do was make a lemon disappear,
Or turn a pigeon into a hamster,
That type of magic,
Well, that would be perfect.
Then, for the rest of my life,
I could put on shows
Whenever I wanted,
Wherever I wanted,
And do whatever I wanted in between,
With no one bothering me.
I know it wouldn’t make me the greatest magician ever,
Or the most ambitious,
But I’m pretty sure
It would make me the happiest.
Real magic,
Like actually make something disappear
Rather than just rely on misdirection and sleight of hand like magicians on TV.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
But let’s get one thing clear,
I don’t want to be able to do all types of magic,
Especially not the being-able-to-make-yourself-invisible
Or cast-powerful-spells
Or control-someone-else’s-mind
Types of magic.
Because then I’d basically be a superhero,
And I don’t want to be a superhero.
I’d never get any time to myself.
I wouldn’t even be able to watch a film,
Not even a short one,
Without someone begging me for help.
Can you imagine?
“Jonathan - Ten lions have escaped,
Near an old people’s home,
And they’re all really hungry,
And old people are their favourite food.”
You can’t say no to that, can you?
But,
If all I could do was make a lemon disappear,
Or turn a pigeon into a hamster,
That type of magic,
Well, that would be perfect.
Then, for the rest of my life,
I could put on shows
Whenever I wanted,
Wherever I wanted,
And do whatever I wanted in between,
With no one bothering me.
I know it wouldn’t make me the greatest magician ever,
Or the most ambitious,
But I’m pretty sure
It would make me the happiest.
This poem is copyright (©) Jonathan Sellars 2024
About the Writer
Jonathan Sellars
Jonathan lives in Greenwich, England. He is severely obsessed with writing poems, primarily ones that rhyme. His work has featured in The Caterpillar and Parakeet magazine and his first picture book, Polly Plum: Brave Adventurer, comes out in Spring 2022. He has two small children, neither of whom can read or write poetry. He's not worried about that. Yet.
