The Magician
Equipment’s ready: burner on,
Test tubes out, chemicals prepared;
My elements are marching pawns
To help me order chaos—dare
Frame a creation in strict lines
Looking unreal as clouds can be
Because the details are too fine:
They’re fallen drops of mercury
Exploding on the classroom floor
Vanished somewhere—to limbo streams
Of non-existent waiting or
To strands of web, forgotten meme.
The beasts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—
Bellow fire, water, earth, and air
To fuel my furnace for divine
Blows from Mjöllnir. With Thor’s brawn
My brain expands but does not tear
As new forms merge from old decline.
The Ravens watch—from Odin’s Tree—
The Coin turn Cup and Wand turn Sword,
While I, Magician, hiss to seem
To speak, and smile my work to see:
Another room, another door
To build a Palace in your dreams.
write with lightning 
March 28th, 2010 at 04:26
Horray for chaos and transmutation into forms. 🙂 And impressive rhyme scheme!!
March 28th, 2010 at 07:17
I love the line “While I, Magician, hiss to seem/ To speak, and smile my work to see.” I also like the novelty of the scientific imagery which isn’t as common as the mythological references in your work.
April 11th, 2010 at 18:17
i’m more intrigued by the contrasting images of divination and alchemy. divination predicts future events, and alchemy seeks to manipulate the natural order. it’s evident in the line “To help me order chaos—dare”, the desire to make order of nature’s elusive secrets.