The Magician
by Charlie Townsley
Waiting at the crosswalk,
I saw a magician today.
Displaying mastery of everyday magic.
He aimed a finger gun at the stoplight.
Point. Shoot. Voila.
Red to green.
Traffic stopped a miracle.
The street transformed
And I crossed.
Grandma would understand.
She who first taught me
the enchantments of cities.
From whose heart I first learned
the routine miracles of trains.
The conjuring of construction sites.
The magnetism of strangers
on common ground.
I remember riding the El
together into Chicago
when I was young enough
Not to understand but to feel
the city’s profound intricacy.
She taught me then,
that through the alchemy of shared space
everyone can charm common moments
into the sublime.
These lessons had dimmed.
But today
a crosswalk magician reminded me of her.
And how every moment
can be magic.
About the Author: Charlie Townsley
Charlie Townsley is an organic farm boy from Wisconsin who, after getting a bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Minnesota and practicing architecture in Minneapolis for a couple years, is now in his second year of Penn’s Master’s in City and Regional Planning program. Charlie’s program concentration is in Housing, Community, and Economic Development and he is passionate about all things related to community building and empowerment.