That Poem I Promised...

The following was written by Margaret Mitchell Miller. It was published in the winter, 1995 edition of Juggler's World:

THIS TRICK

To begin, I must warn you:
it is more than a gesture of skill
or chance. It requires a love of

threes. You will find it impossible
to do, at first. There is one
more ball than you can manage with

ease. Each hand desires but a single
thing -- another hand, say -- touched
to the small cupped

palm. But you know what you need
to complete this trick. Part of your task
is mastering the perfect rhythm of

threes. You must practice in a room so large
that nothing is easily broken. At your first toss
the balls will drop and roll just out of

reach. Resist the urge to give in
to the loss. Soon your legs and arms grow limber,
stronger, as you learn to retrieve them

all. Listen: the trick is in keeping
two balls in the air, you eye fixed on them
always. In the exchange you must free what you

hold: you live for the one that is
falling. It is what you hands desire most, you
know. With practice you learn to anticipate

the moment you must let go.