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The Fool

Astrology has always left me cold
(As cold, at least, as interstellar space);
The lines along my palm can only trace
The rate at which my hand is growing old.
My observation of the Ouija board
Says spirits of the dead should learn to spell;
And, much as I love tea, it’s hard to tell
How sodden leaves with mystic truth accord.
But there’s a Tarot card that seems a glyph
For everything that’s coming now undone:
Enamored, giddy, staring at the sun,
He never sees he’s dancing off a cliff—
The Fool, his number in the deck is null,
And yet he’s most predictive of them all.

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Jeffrey Essmann is an essayist and poet living in New York. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, among them Agape Review, America Magazine, Dappled Things, the St. Austin Review, U.S. Catholic, Grand Little Things, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and various venues of the Benedictine monastery with which he is an oblate. He is editor of the Catholic Poetry Room page on the Integrated Catholic Life website.

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10 Responses

  1. Kyle Fiske

    Very nice. A great premise–one that gives you a vein of examples to mine and build up your central theme. Profound, subtle, and witty.

    Reply
  2. Paul A. Freeman

    Nicely done, Jeffrey.

    I remember once I was in the bar of Jumbo Country Club in Zimbabwe, reading the Sunday paper. A farmer’s wife was bemoaning how superstitious the native Zimbabweans were before asking me for the page with the horoscopes.

    Go figure!

    Reply
  3. Bruce Phenix

    Thank you, Jeffrey. I very much agree with Kyle – truth and wit, a conversational tone and keen observation in a skilfully crafted sonnet.

    Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    I never have messed with any of those, but this was entertaining with subtle satire. A most enjoyable read.

    Reply
  5. Cynthia Erlandson

    This is such a great idea for a metaphor “for everything that’s coming now undone.” And I love the lively way you’ve carried it out, from astrology leaving the poet as cold as interstellar space, and Ouija board spirits learning to spell, to the Fool not seeing that he’s dancing off a cliff, yet being more prophetic than anyone else. You’ve compressed all of that into a sonnet that’s both profound and humorous.

    Reply
  6. Joseph A. Salemi

    The Tarot card deck, especially the cards of the Major Arcana, are extremely evocative and psychologically suggestive. That is why they can be dangerous if not handled very carefully. The illustration that Evan chose from the Colman-Smith version of the deck is perfect, as are all of the illustrations in that stellar edition of the Tarot.

    It does seem that the entire world is now in the situation of the Fool — hovering in the moment before choice in suspension, hesitation, uncertainty, and clueless unconcern for the momentous catastrophe that looms ahead of us. That’s why the card’s number is zero. It stands for a major turning point, for good or for evil. This poem captures that situation.

    Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    “Dancing off a cliff,” eyes blinded by the sun, and no care to look elsewhere. And isn’t that foolishness true as well of those looking for certainty from the occult in any form? You word it well, Jeffrey.

    Reply
  8. jd

    Enjoyed very much, Jeffrey, for all the
    reasons cited. The poem is illustrative, humorous and wise.

    Reply
  9. Shamik Banerjee

    I love your concepts and the way you execute them, Mr. Essmann. The Fool is not aware of where he’s dancing, but is the most predictive. The couplet sums up your sonnet. Thanks for this!

    Reply
  10. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Jeffrey, I absolutely love the wit and wisdom of this cleverly and beautifully crafted sonnet. It says everything about the times we live in… with a smile. Wonderful!

    Reply

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