A Really, Really Good Poem, I Don't Care What You Try and Say About it Otherwise

Tomorrow I’ll be posting about a Progressive Anagram technique that came out of a project I worked on with my friend Andrew. Neither of us are encyclopedias of mentalism, so it’s possible something similar to this technique is already in the literature. I’m going to hint at it today, so if we’re on a path that’s already been trod, perhaps someone can let me know. The closest thing to this technique that I know of is something I wrote long ago on my old site.

What it allows you to do is vastly increase the number of potential possibilities for a spectator to think of in a PA, while seemingly keeping the number of guesses very low.

For example, usually an anagram with two guesses would only allow you four possibilities.

Think of a Beatle.
OK
He’s in the rhythm section.
Yes.
He’s dead.
No.
You’re thinking of Ringo Starr.

The technique I’m going to write about tomorrow is limited in certain ways, but it’s a way of to get a lot more options with what feels like just two “guesses.” (Although it’s not quite really.)

As an example of the process, I’ve written this really, really good poem. If you were to pick any word from the poem that resonates with you in some way, I could tell what you’re thinking of with what feels like just two conjectures. (If you think you know how that would happen, write me before the end of the day. If you’re right, I’ll give you $1.75.)

More on that tomorrow. Today, just bask in the beauty of my poetry…

The astronomer sees the stars in the constellation as mystical talismans
Or possibly as balls for the circus juggler
The astronomer's thoughts are of young romance
Glorified misery, lasting eternally
As a match sets his heart aflame
The emotional pressure prompts a look in the mirror
In his heart he is the coyote in the moonlight
yet in the mirror he sees something meaningfully different
He resembles a marshmallow in a latex mask