Small Sad Circuses Poems Inspired by a Line from William Wantling
Kevin Jones 2013
A mud show, Yes, and You can See stars If you look Up into The canvas. But it’s The only Show in town And gone Tomorrow. And the grounds Will smell Just like It was The Greatest Show on Earth. * Ringmaster’s Whip Doesn’t crack. He doesn’t Use a megaphone Or a Microphone, So no one Hears his “Ladies and Gentlemen,” But no one Seems to Care. Nor Do they Notice that His tophat
Is a cardboard New Year’s favor. * Clowns Haven’t Gotten a laugh In seasons. Little car Pulls up And nobody Gets out Not even The driver. * Lion’s So old He sleeps Most of The time. Trainer Pulls his Cage in On a cart. Snores, Roars, Get Pretty much The same Applause. * Trapeze family Used the Net
So often They switched To a Trampoline Act. * Elephant Remembers. He’d just Prefer Not to. * Band’s All on tape. One guy In a Borrowed High school Drum major’s Jacket Struggles To stay Awake In case He needs To cue “Stars and Stripes Forever.” * Equestrian Act Is an Old Percheron With an
Appropriately Scaled rider Atop. Yards and Yards Of wasted Chiffon for both. * Wire act Rents Its bike From The local Shop. * Doniker Backing up Proves One of The show’s Best Attractions. * KEVIN JONES has studied clowning, and has picked his nose, but hasn’t yet Found quite the right circus. Until then, he teaches English at the Sacramento Center of Union Institute & University.