Nali,

The day your father's poetry gets published is the day they find water on Mars; or the day the pope visits the world's leading exporter of capitalism, pop culture and war; or the day you wake up an ounce heavier, babbling new syllables and sound effects through your toothless smile. Magic is the exploration of boundaries, just as you, climbing nearly out of your crib so much that we had to lower it. I am still at odds with deciding if I should teach you magic, or simply teaching you the principle of anything being possible. I am excited at the possibilities you will uncover when your kicking feet turn to curious footsteps, and your train of thought turns the corner into childhood. That said, today is in fact the day of water on Mars, of God's word on Earth, and of my poetry making it out of my self-published chapbooks for once. We are in a rare air era, these first months of your existence as you grow faster than we can transfer pictures from our phones to computers. It, like magic, is happening by surprise, faster than we can expect. Your mom and I are blessed to take it all in with you.

Love
Papa A

Magic is my martial art. Before you dismiss me as crazy, I strongly affirm what I do is a Way above all else.

My past goals were to knock crowds off their feet in disbelief, accumulate as many shows as possible, and be the number one mage left standing as far as the eye can see.

My convictions then, and my convictions now, are distant relatives. I am nothing without my crowds, who I've narrowed down to those I love- my magic is a reflection of these people I met along the way and the experiences we've shared together. Magic is a creation of shared experiences, so therefore, every moment with them is my magic. My wife and daughter are my sources of astonishment. God is the only on-looker I wish to impress, or surprise.

I have been on TV. I have done a thousand shows, in palaces and in villages of places I would have never explored otherwise. I met my wife by way of magic. I founded a dojo of rogue magicians called the House of Flying Cards. I've written chapbooks about what I've seen.

I intend to use magic as a means of vanishing the self and becoming one with the world under heaven.