The Acentos Review

Gathering Magic

            After Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again

            After Magic The Gathering

Music on loop is a counter spell–
tap three earth mana
summon one guardian;
he has haste. He moves on
 
lost again at the beginning.
Guitar strings writhe a triplet of notes
in a chord around my throat
while I undo the premade deck.
to make my own, ruin
 
the careful and thought out plan
because I think I am wiser
for listening to the song over
and over until its lost
 
all its meaning and power
over me. Some creatures have
flight. A Platinum Angel means
you can’t lose the game.
 
I only have one
in a protective sleeve
in a box deep inside
my closet with everything else
waiting to be summoned
 
with a kick and a snare
my voice recites lyrics.
Tap two water mana.
Summon a great mist
from my eyes, a defensive maneuver
 
like keeping a song on loop
to revisit each rhythm’s memory
of something lost.
 
 
You’ve built a black deck
to resurrect. Breath used
to be a symbol for life.
Then a heart beat.
Then brain waves.
I repeat this game in my hands–
 
the trouble of order. I break
spells lost in the cacophony
in my headphones. Calm
visits me when I no longer hear
 
the song blasting against my eardrums,
but my inhales, the thuds of my heart
inside my chest. This forgetting is temporary.
Tap four swamps. Return to yourself.