Biography of a Lying Magician

I was born in 1974
I never belonged to that military base
And I don’t ever go back
I’ve been a magician since I was four
Some people know how to make an appearance
I know how to disappear
I do not believe in fortune tellers or soothsayers or supernatural beings
Life is what you make it and the future is well planned chance
                    She calls me ‘pagan’
 I call it ‘logical’
At two I rode on my daddy’s shoulders at Disneyworld
At 18 I watched him die and thought it was my fault
Some people know all about success and fame
I know about failure
I’ve been the golden child and the black sheep
                   I’ve never compromised my convictions
At 25 the gentle balance between knowing and listening began to settle in
I’m learning how to love
He is kind, and strong
What we have in common makes us friends, and that which makes us different, makes us a team
At 29 I hovered over my mother in ICU and learned all I could about cancer
I wasn’t going to make the same mistake
                      With the other parent
She did not take her illness as seriously as I did
                      She is dead
I thought youth and health would last forever
                    At 30 I learned constraint and moderation
I’ve been held at gunpoint in Mexico
Danced at a bar mitzvah in Alaska
Chased by dogs in France
Ran from avalanches in Switzerland
Eaten eggs in Holland and toast in England
            I’m still jealous of everyone I meet
A magician is a good liar, that is what I am - A Good Liar
I lie to make people laugh because humor is truth from a different angle
I lie to diffuse the anger of others
Because people are too sensitive
Life is too short for anger
                        Or truth
Don't tell me you know me, I can promise you it's a lie
Each year I put a bag on my back
On well worn trails I place one foot in front of the other
I walk in the rain and snow and the sunshine
I sleep under the stars
I wake with the dawn
I like the smell of sunscreen, mosquito spray, and lip balm
And of my own sweat at the end of the day
I like blackened toenails, blistered heels, and sore muscles
                    It is my penance
who knows
                     How much longer I’ll live
I will be content with each moment