“Other Circus” by John Grey
At twilight,
one circus leaves town,
another pitches its tents.
The children’s matinee
was all bright balloons
and candy apples.
At night, the pin-headed man
pricks the air out of everything,
the bearded lady
polishes that fruit
under her sweaty arm-pit.
With the morbid
resurrection of the darkness,
Princess Esmeralda and
her white stallions
gallop away
to make room for
Captain Leroy who
writhes atop
a snapping snake.
And there’s no parade of elephants,
just a blathering consortium
of rabid dogs.
For this night-time show,
the net is removed
from the high-wire,
the ring-master
lashes his flesh
with his own whip,
the cages are dismantled
so the beasts run free.
And the clowns…
they no longer need grease-paint
their sullen faces.
They’ve seen the humor and it’s no joke.
By the way,
no head in the lion’s mouth just yet.
The tiger’s still playing with it.
| John Grey has been published recently in The Echolocation, Bryant Literary Review and Caveat Lector with work upcoming in Clark Street Review, GW Review and The Potomac Review. |