The Big As If

It was as if
some occult hand had reached
down from clouds across the land
to palm my heart, like
a magic trick 

that you just can't teach, 
unless you can.

Or else you miss
where now you see it,
now you saw. Now
you wish and kiss 
and paw, lose
everything 

perchance 
to crawl, 
perhaps 
to raise. 
To win it
all. 

It was
as if some
occult part 

unplayed as yet 
by dummy luck 
and handy fate 

had come unstuck 
by skill and art.