Magic Through Metaphor
Day 18: One Month of Magic
One of the things about magic is that it is often easier to see in others than in ourselves. We can immediately recognize its presence in the natural world: the crushed coral of a sunset, the way otters hold hands when asleep, tree roots breaking through concrete.
How do you find magic in the non-human realm? Do you love the symmetry of a tulip or the way branches rustle in the wind? What about the infinite life living beneath the ocean’s surface?
Read “What I Didn’t Know Before” by Ada Limón.
What I Didn’t Know Before
Ada Limón
was how horses simply give birth to other
horses. Not a baby by any means, not
a creature of liminal spaces, but a four-legged
beast hellbent on walking, scrambling after
the mother. A horse gives way to another
horse and then suddenly there are two horses,
just like that. That’s how I loved you. You,
off the long train from Red Bank carrying
a coffee as big as your arm, a bag with two
computers swinging in it unwieldily at your
side. I remember we broke into laughter
when we saw each other. What was between
us wasn’t a fragile thing to be coddled, cooed
over. It came out fully formed, ready to run.
Prompt: Write a poem using the metaphor of a nonhuman thing. What does this thing teach you about your place in the world? About the power and magic inside you?
One Month of Magic guidelines:
For the month of July, post a daily prompt to inspire magical thinking.
Read and respond to the prompt by writing for seven, seventeen, or seventy-seven minutes—whatever you like—exploring what it stirs inside you. That’s it. It’s easy and breezy and designed to make you consider things deeper to search for sparkle.
After you write, post your response in the comments section of that day's post (only available to paid subscribers). Offer feedback to at least two people. Celebrate and clarify what is magical about one another’s work. How it deepened your own awareness and awe.
Posts will NOT be emailed—don’t want to spam people—but they will be posted on chat. So, if you want a daily magical ping, turn the chat feature and notifications on. You can find how in your settings.
Seashell Magic
I don’t know how you got here, pulled into the surf to bounce off rocks and hulls and pecking beaks. Tossed by someone who didn’t see your beauty? Were you home to someone? Protecting them while you took the brutality of the sea? Did you lose them? Did they leave you? Outgrow you? The sun glimmers on your surface and the lapping waves deepen the richness of your colors. I see you and you are beautiful. I pick you up and contemplate your potential. A necklace pendant? Part of a sculpture or craft? Proudly on display in a clear glass hurricane? I tuck you safely in my pocket and put feet to sand, continuing my hunt. But I can’t stop thinking of you. How I found you and how stunning you are. Should I stop searching now that I have you? Or am I making assumptions and moving too fast? I want to know your story and understand who you are, but don’t leave out the ugly parts. I promise they will only make me love you more. We all have a past, mine screams at me sometimes. I’ve made peace with it for the most part but every now and then the scars stretch and itch, just enough to remind me they’re there. I acknowledge their presence, caressing the raised wound, grateful for the lesson. I breathe in acceptance and breathe out doubt as I put my hand in my pocket to hold you. I run my thumb along your smooth, underbelly, and over the ridges on your back. Strong. Resilient. Trustworthy. I will protect where your edges grow thin and promise not to poke at your weak spots. Shelter me and we can weather the next storm together. Till death do us part.