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Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
HI everybody,
Kenneth Koch, a wonderful teacher of the two interlinked arts of reading poetry and writing it, and a poet notable for his whimsical word-play and jazz-like riffs, wrote a poem called "One train may hide another." He took the title from a warning sign he'd seen at a railroad station in Kenya. He uses the warning to go on a delightful zany tour of various things in life that hide other things. One thing he *didn't* mention, though, was that one *card* may hide another. Lately I've found myself muttering to myself, "One card may hide another," and it occurred to me that a huge chunk of card magic is based on that one principle. And if the card isn't hiding another card, the card or the deck is hiding something sneaky that the magician is doing. Here's a link to the poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/5......-another Bob |
Bill Hallahan Inner circle New Hampshire 3222 Posts |
Yes. For some moves, one card hiding the other is known as the "shell" principle, and is used in a lot of tricks. A hand, or the deck, or something else hiding a card fit parts of that poem too.
Parts of that poem also seem to be a metaphor for other ideas in magic, and made me think of, "a larger action covering a smaller action. It also made me think of, providing motivation for an action to cover up that the action accomplishes some other hidden goal. Magic, more than any other art, shows how our perceptions and assumptions can be manipulated. One thing hides another. Thanks for posting that poem.
Humans make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to create boredom. Quite astonishing.
- The character of ‘Death’ in the movie "Hogswatch" |
Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
You're welcome - So glad you enjoyed the poem, Bill. And I enjoyed your additional observations about how the poem is relevant to magic -- insights that hadn't occurred to me. I have no idea whether Koch was interested in magic; I imagine he had in mind a light-hearted exploration of how mysterious life is, much like the the quote in your signature. But that's one of poetry's joys: a poem can be a container that holds a multitude of emotion and understanding.
Best Regards, Bob |
Rachmaninov Inner circle 1076 Posts |
I didn’t grasp everything, English being my second language. But yes, obviously, there is some similarities between this poem and magic. Part of this poem could even become a nice presentation for a magic trick…
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Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
Ha! Interesting idea, Rach. I never thought of using this poem, or any poem, as part of a magic presentation.
Bob |
Mark Williams Special user Las Vegas, Nevada 513 Posts |
Bob, Reading through the poem reminds me that, "In Truth...There Is Beauty" All one needs to do is take the time to really see it. Thanks for posting this for us. Also, I just wanted to mention that I have seen many storyteller/magicians use poetry in their presentations. It can be truly meaningful to the audience, as well as the entertainer.
And...from what I'm reading in this thread...one idea you had not thought of...was hidden by another. Now that you opened yourself to see it...the idea of using poetry in magic has opened a new door for you. That's pretty awesome! Best Magical Regards, Mark Williams
"Once is Magic!! Twice is an Education!!"
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Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
Ha ha, that's great, Mark! One idea may hide another... Help, there's too much magic out there! I had no idea that using poetry in magic was a Thing, as my daugther would say. I have to put a damper on my enthusiasm or I'll never finish anything.
Thanks so much for your message, Mark. Best Regards, Bob |
Gerald Deutsch Special user 526 Posts |
You do card tricks till it's time to go home
You think that's the time to recite a poem? |
Rachmaninov Inner circle 1076 Posts |
Yes
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Bob G Inner circle 2831 Posts |
I prefer to do card tricks *while* I'm reciting --
To my way of thinking that's far more exciting. |
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