Tuesday, September 18, 2018

The Circus in My Town/dVerse

The Circus in My Town

I was taken to the circus many times
Cotton candy comes to mind
The lights turned down low

The costumes sparkled
Under the spot lights
The clowns with big shoes
And baggie clothes
Crawled the perimeters of the big top
Like colorful spiders

Elephants with painted smiles
The lions roared
Or were those screams
The clowns threw buckets of tears
At each other
Thousands of clowns 
Stuffed into tiny cars

The music played
Was it Satie with his sad tunes
A world of make believe
A sad state of affairs

September 18, 2018


38 comments:

Kerry O'Connor said...

A sad state of affairs.. now all the world seems to me to be a circus (and I have never been a fan).

annell4 said...

I think you are right, we are trapped in a circus! Thanks Kerry.

Kim M. Russell said...

I'm not keen on circuses, especially when they paint elephants and make lions roar - it makes me sad.

Gillena Cox said...

Nice write Annell

Much😊💛😊love

annell4 said...

Me too, Kim. Thanks for the comment.

annell4 said...

Thanks Gillena.

indybev said...


Your words aptly capture the pathos behind the pomp and circumstance. Well done.

annell4 said...

Thanks indybev!

sarah said...

The clowns threw buckets of tears
At each other

Fabulous lines. I like the contrasts you draw between the sparkly surface and the pain beneath, right through the poem. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

You have really captured the mix of sparkle and sadness that is the circus.

Vivian Zems said...

I love how you bring it to conclusion that life..is not that funny after all.
I take it as an action call for sober reflection. I Imagine those buckets of tears....
great line!

Frank Hubeny said...

Nice last two lines about the sad world of make believe.

brudberg said...

A sad affair... yes the joy of circuses has faded.... but the acrobats are still fun.

susan said...

Nice write! I like the "...elephants with painted smiles and...clowns throwing buckets of tears." You nailed it!

tonispencer said...

An incredible poem. How you show the pain and suffering if the animals and the people beneath the colors and sparkle. The clowns like colored spiders is especially affective

Glenn Buttkus said...

We now live in a world who frown on big game hunters and lion tamers and yet do not have the insight or gumption to take global warming seriously. From Civil Rights to LBGT and Me Too, we are all hypersensitive, but Trump has trampled on decency ad democracy. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?

dorianna ric said...

'clowns like spiders' nice metaphor...especially like the end correlation between the fantasy horror of the circus to the sad state of affairs in the world, nice job.

Anmol (HA) said...

It's "a sad state of affairs indeed". I like the shift in your verse, from a nostalgic image and memory through the eyes of the child to the adult realization of the actual grimness of that setting.
Well-penned.
-HA

Frank J. Tassone said...

"Send in the Clowns. There ought to be clowns..." Your bittersweet reminiscence captures our collective absurdity in the seeming charm of a circus. Nicely written!

Gina said...

bittersweet, i love the tone of your poem

Waltermarks said...

It is a sad world beneath the showy facade. I don't think they need to bring in the clowns, they're here, like lions who only seem caged,

Carrie Van Horn said...

The truth in your words here are magnificent Annell! A wonderful write indeed!

annell4 said...

Thank you for your comment, Sarah.

annell4 said...

Thanks for your comment VJ.

annell4 said...

Yes, sometimes "life," can give us a wonderful chuckle!! Thanks Vivian.

annell4 said...

Thanks Frank.

annell4 said...

Yes, they are, and who else should be in the circus? Thanks Bjorn.

annell4 said...

I am glad you enjoyed it, just as I had hoped. Thanks susan.

annell4 said...

Thank you Toni, glad you didn't let those spiders slip past you.

annell4 said...

Yes, it seems there is lots confusion in the world today, nothin black or while. Thanks for your comment Glenn.

annell4 said...

Thanks for your comment, Dorianna.

annell4 said...

Thank you for your comment, Ha.

annell4 said...

A wonderful song about clowns. It seems the world is crowded with clowns, from top to bottom! Thanks for your comment Frank.

annell4 said...

Thanks for your comment, Gina.

annell4 said...

I loved your comment! Thanks Mark.

annell4 said...

Thanks for your comment Carrie.

Dwight L. Roth said...

I guess the evaluation of would depend of whose eyes you are looking through. A child would see the excitement while we adults might think it rather absurd. Sounds like you had a great time there as a child.

Kerfe Roig said...

The state of the world reflected as a circus...sadly apt.

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