Prose Header

Telling a Fortune

by Edward Ahern

Come in, my dear, and sit in that chair.
What’s that? No, no crystal ball, no incense.
Just a table and two chairs, and you and I.
Before you pay me, I must give you a choice.
Choose between two fortunes, neither of them lies.

One lets you look in a mirror,
What you will do, who you will bed,
The future as others are able to see you.
Most are content with that.

The other? Ah, that’s much more painful.
I will flay your image and look inside you
At what you become and what you fail to be.
Your essence as it purifies or taints.

Most are unhappy with these revelations
But recognize their truth,
Even though they rarely change.
So which will it be?

Inner or outer, the money is the same.
My actions will not vary.
But I will be looking at you
Either dressed up or naked.

The procedure? Absurdly simple.
Your elbow on the table, fingers straight out.
I set my hands on each side of yours.
And pass them up and down, just not touching.

Your hand feels pressure and warmth.
Both are phantoms but not unreal.
Your focus is through your hand
As I begin to know you.

I ask no questions, that would be fraud.
Only begin to tell you
Of what you will have done
Or what you will become.

What’s that? No, of course I understand.
Most people prefer to know
The course of their life rather than
The curses of their nature.
Shall we begin?


Copyright © 2019 by Edward Ahern

Proceed to Challenge 810...

Home Page