We are the hollow magicians
Stuffed full of tricks
We are the lazy magicians
Our practice never sticks
Knowledge without wisdom
Secrets without soul
We are the hollow magicians
Who’ve forgotten our true role.
We are the watching magicians
Scrolling through our feeds
We are the buying magicians
Who never plant the seeds
Wizards without wonder
Reviews without shows
We are the hollow magicians
Whom no audience knows!1
Update: I fed this poem to an AI image generator, and this was the output. I presume the skeletal-looking guy in the back is the hollow magician. There’s something both beautiful and horrifying about this image—it’s certainly the stuff of nightmares! I welcome interpretations of this weird visual in the comments.
Here’s my interpretation: The skeletal magician in the background is the “Hollow Magician”. He is immersed—no drowning—in a sea of trivial, superficial magic tricks. The child symbolises our lost inner wonder, guiding the magician back to the real world of magic. The sleeping woman signifies our collective need to wake up from our shopping-induced slumber. Wow, I’ve had way too much coffee!
Special thanks to T.S. Eloit