Skills

　　 by Jonathan Aaron

　　 Blondin made a fortune walking back and forth

　　 over Niagara Falls on a tightrope-blindfolded，

　　 or inside a sack， or pushing a wheelbarrow， or perched on stilts，

　　 or lugging a man on his back. Once， halfway across，

　　 he sat down to cook and eat an omelette.

　　 Houdini， dumped into Lake Michigan chained

　　 and locked in a weighted trunk， swam back to the boat

　　 a few moments later. He could swallow more than a hundred needles

　　 and some thread， then pull from between his lips

　　 the needles dangling at even intervals.

　　 I can close my eyes and see your house

　　 explode in a brilliant flash， silently，

　　 with a complete absence of vibration. And when I open them again，

　　 my heart in my mouth， everything is standing

　　 just as before， but not as if nothing had happened.

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