In the beginning was the magic,
and the magic was in the words,
and the words were with the gods
because gods were everywhere –
on earth, underground, in the water, and in the air.
(With one name, that’s mythology.)

And the gods created man
as a plaything of their wish;
but man learned the words
(some say a demigod stole the magic
from gods and gave it to man)
since the gods were exhausted in their power.
Thus man took time to discover himself,
enjoy himself, and proclaim himself uomo forte,
- probably between Trecento and Quattrocento.

And man made the money
that soon was to become his only god.
Yet, the world now seemed too small
even for one god.
So, man had to discover more land and more water,
and he called this America.
(With one name, that’s economy.)

Since then, most mythologies and economies
have been exhausted
while the magic remains for many.
(Some call it the marriage of money and myth,
some call it simply , the American dream.)

©Elena Malec, California, June 24, 1996