Magic Carpet THE MAGIC CARPET
‘Think back’ he said. ‘Pick one occasion
When you were truly happy, your best self;
Then draw on it when life conspires to get you down.
Make that time a living picture,
Enlarge it, shrink it down, play with it
In black and white, in colour, soft, then bright and sharp.
Remember every sound and smell and taste,
The air touching your skin, how you felt.
And save it. Bottle the whole experience -
A hand on the shoulder could do it.’
Slowly I touched the carpet with my foot.
Curled my toes and thought of a moment in a summer barn.
Dancing in a circle on a rug
Turkish and threadbare, turquoise, rust and gold,
I spin around, while in the background guests weave patterns.
The party’s flying on its own momentum,
I can do anything, love everybody,
Need no-one. This is the moment to bottle and to breathe.
And so I tested it. Sitting forward
On the office chair I pushed down hard
With my bare foot, closed my eyes and let it all flood back.
It wasn’t fancy or an empty wish.
Blazing exhilaration lifted me -
I felt the rush as time wound back; I danced once more,
It worked beyond my expectations. At first
I didn’t dare to rub the lamp again -
The genie must decide the moment when he calls -
But then I took control. The rug is there
For flying. When confidence is low
I can enlist that magic source of power to win peace.
Julia Middleton
Julia Middleton is a business journalist and marketing copywriter specialising in IT and telecomms. See website www.bizzwords.co.uk or contact julia@bizzwords.co.uk.
Member of the SNLP
