The Archer

The trick to catching a leaf is to let go; to relax your senses, and let everything else fall off your mind, so you don't know. It's the kind of madness that makes you not blink, and blank-stare into space. When I reach for it there, I grab air, I think...catching leaves is tricky: cranky, I chase. It's like pursuing a moment, and sealing it away in a box with no locks. The wind is ready to keep things unsteady, and the leaf gets let go like a dream I keep forgetting: I'm too slow. Catching leaves changes the way our eyes move. Surprises are expected; reflexes improve. And if you miss it the first time, you have nothing to loose! The wind picks up again, and I follow the leaf to its zig-zagging end: it flips, eludes, and spins out of control, until I'm lost, dizzy, and in the mood to fold. Catching a leaf on a windy day keeps me busy: it's my goal, so stay focused, despite the changes in direction that shake me off balance. I stay in my spot, and notice a leaf move down from the top into the mess the wind has made into a challenge. Despite the stress, I stay with it. If I look close, it'll stand out vivid. The trick to catching a leaf is to make the others disappear. My vision goes blurry. Everything goes clear.

-from Cardboard Kingdoms:
a collection of card magic routines done to poetry
DVD + Chapbook available summer 2012
at www.antinoart.com