Open Sesame by Joel M Toledo

It could happen that you end up facing a wall,
Thinking yourself cornered and utterly doomed.

It is then that you begin with an absent mind, feeling
Your pockets, all sorts of dark and hidden possessions

brushing against your fingers- crumpled paper,
a pen, some sticky stuff, loose change. It’s fairly fantastic,

This ancient ritual of hide and seek, the awkward fumbling
for the key that is never there. Only that very instant

You notice it: the faint passing of voices, a breeze teeming
with incantations. So that suddenly everything is ready,

that even now the wall is beginning to shudder, ready
to give up its solid, impossible nature. And you sense

that all you need is the uttering of a phrase for entry.
Or a belief in some complex, senseless syntax

That would haunt your dreams after and all of forever,
well into your recurring waking, that spell of magic,

so vivid and so old. You are afraid because the wizard
is not there and the runes are too archaic. But look:

how the stone obliges, grinding and splitting and granting
passage just for you. And let me tell you now

why wings and doors and flowers really open, why
this wall, once non-negotiable, had let you in.

It is because all things want to open, that often
all you need do is ask. So that when. Desperate

And despairing, you had said please, the hard heart
of the stone melted quickly, without much enchantment.

Naturally generous, simply pleased.


When I saw this title, automatically "magic spell"came to my mind and Alabama forty thieves. Cavern in the story open or close by magic word “open sesame”
For me it was clue to understanding this poem; persona met “facing a wall” in the first stanza it means could not open or blocking the way generally it’s mean ‘frustration forward dream’ or people who closed their heart to the other people.
Up to five stanzas, have no key to open forward the wall, frustrate to the dream, and closed heart.

In Six stanza the wall is beginning to shudder; the wall is moving to open but it is still no more open.
Seven stanza, speaker said to ‘you’ try all the ways to open locked the wall or closed heart of the people. Eight and nine stanzas there is no ‘the wizard’ and ‘rune.’

But the speaker said ‘ but look’; how the stone is splitting.
Flowers and nature all things are all ‘open’ but the people don’t like negotiable or open.

In thirteen stanza, really do you want see ‘open’? Then you use and keep “please” if you use it, even people have heard heart like stone but their heart will melt it means ‘ open.’ At lastly the key or magic spell to open is “ please”

This poem ‘ open sesame ‘ for me; if you want open to other people’s of heart, you should be use magic spell “ Please.” Then even the wall or stone and heard heart will be splitting, melt.
Also I had experience, which is I went immigration for my visa extension it was lunch time so went Choking and I ordered as I paid the food, that time casher said me forcedly “ you pay smaller money” that time I closed my heart and would like to pay the biggest money from my wallet, but when I opened my wallet there is small and big money, my finger almost pick the biggest money up but religiously I did not. So truly i agree the magic spell ‘Please’ in this poem. If she used please’ then, my heart was very joyful and helpful for their busy working.

According to the cover of design in this book, ‘chiaroscuro’ I discovered the meaning from Dr. Marj’s forward and Internet.
‘Chiaroscuro’ is light and dark; I saw the poem ‘open sesame’; in my sight open is light and clear but close is dark or secret so these are related to chiaroscuro technique. When I saw cover of this book, light and dark colors were used on the cover of book, it is 17-century technique style to drawing. Also
So I researched that is related this poem, chiaroscuro, this term used drawing in 17 century; chiaroscuro, this term originated from a type of renaissance drawing on
coloured paper, where the artist worked from this base tone towards light and dark. Dr. Marj said us you study what related the poem, so I tried research that it was so interested me.