The Magician Who Predicted The Future Poem by Paul Hartal

The show was held in a side-street pub
On a Saturday evening, ‘of great importance',
And the place was filled with curious people
Who purchased their tickets in advance.

The famous magician appeared on the stage
Dressed in a butterfly-bowed red coat
Black trousers and shoes. He wore a black
Chimney pot hat, and sharpened his throat.

A small orchestra, consisting of a piano,
A violin, a drum and a trumpet, played a part
Of the steely rhythms, the rattling bangs of
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue; for the start.

And then the conjurer began to perform
His antics, which included card tricks
And pulling out a live rabbit from his black
Chimney- pot hat, with two walking sticks.

And when he announced the next act,
The difficult task of augury, foretelling life,
The future; tension in the crowded hall grew
So dense that you could cut it with a knife.

There was complete silence in the hall.
And then, climbing to the climax of the day,
The magician declared victoriously, saying
In a stentorian voice: "Tomorrow is Sunday."