"Magician"

Ask me to net you a dream
and skilfully, with magic
as close as yesterday's drizzle
exploding into remembered floods
I'll tease you to laughter and
steal your nightmares, I'll
shield your
most precious failures against
mud slung by your relatives
and other adversaries
I'll confuse you
apart
from
your fear
until the morning
you can wake up and beam
silver dancing light into every
not quite forgotten
corner of your life
and wonder
why you held your pain
so tightly
as if
it was
your
most valued
possession.

Jim Wellington
(1973 -reworked September 2000)