Escape Artist (for James Randi)

Joe Nickell

You cast
off the last
shadows,
shackles
from long life.
You were a gift.
Crowds
were so drawn to your cause
you seemed permanently bowed
by their applause.
I thumb through my mind’s
snapshots to find
you performing again—
almost as if,
some way,
while I hold my breath,
you escape death
for another day.

Joe Nickell

Joe Nickell, PhD, is senior research fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and “Investigative Files” columnist for Skeptical Inquirer. A former stage magician, private investigator, and teacher, he is author of numerous books, including Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (1983), Pen, Ink and Evidence (1990), Unsolved History (1992) and Adventures in Paranormal Investigation (2007). He has appeared in many television documentaries and has been profiled in The New Yorker and on NBC’s Today Show. His personal website is at joenickell.com.


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