THINGS THAT ARE NOT MAGIC

Electricity. Rabbits. Starlight. Starlings.

Clockwork. Respiration. Pop music. Time

travel, especially when it’s not theoretical.

Pharmacology. The way light bends when

it falls across water. The trajectory of fire.

Dream sequences. Architecture. Dark matter.

Calligraphy. Holograms, and any other surface

that glitters. Remembrance. Centripetal force.

The inverse relationship between duration

and speed. Agriculture. Aeronautics. Any

known taxonomy. Perfume. Small batch gin.

Windmills. Industrial dams. Field recordings.

Sex with a stranger, however significant, is not

magic. It cannot change history. It won’t rebuild

your broken heart. This is not my fault.