once the blond assistant

once the blond assistant

 

 

I held you precariously

in one arm

while the other busied

itself moving the hand to the bible

to swear

 

I would never love you

(the lie)

cursed lips met

(the lie)

can't come back from that

(the truth)

 

love blinks magic

onto the stage 

of my heart 

(the truth)

 

I don't love you

(the lie)

I don't think of you

(the lie)

I pulled a tear out of my hat

(the truth)

 

my act drew applause

precariously

(silence)

 

I am the poetic fraud

(the truth)

she is the trick of my imagination

the showstopper

the amalgamation 

of all my magic

but

 

I could never love you 

(the lie)

and rabbits are never

white like an empty page

(the lie)

I want you to pull me out of your heart

(the truth)

we shall always do another show

(the truth)

 

abracadabra....

 

 

erin-cilberto

2/6/2021

Reviews

[Cassie]

wow!!!! I enjoyed reading this

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Cassie...figured this one was a bomb since so few gave words to it, so I really appreciate that you found it and enjoyed it.
j.

[NotUsinganymore]

Very interesting write. I enjoyed what you had written!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, JungLee,
j.

[Ted Kniffen]

Ah j. I last performed that trick in 1970 with a lovely blonde assistant ... she fed me to the lions. Oh how things changed.
I did not love her (the lie)
She did not love me (the lie)
We made do without each other (the truth)

Still, the story repeats every now and then ... when the guard is down.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

for me it was 1971....fall.
In more ways than one.
And yes, the story repeats don't it??????

[jen]

Slight of hand, smoke and mirrors. Protecting our heart while hoping we won't have to. I love how you insert the subtext of truth in between the spoken lines. While we say "I'm ok, I'll get over it" inside often we are dying. This is such a generous sharing of words. I've read it a few times.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I really appreciate your response to this piece, jenny....
j.