Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Bailing on Barnum

If the circus was a class field trip
Guess who lost their permission slip?
That would be me
Conveniently,
Pink crushed into a couch crevasse
Because, alas
While I loved the horses, and trapeze
Clowns did not, please
Me
Nor did tired, sad elephants
Chained and dressed
Not for success
Stuck in a single line
With whips that snapped and whined
Or tigers snarling and then sent
To stand on silly stools to repent
Plus the scent of pacyhderm poo
Ewwwww
Instead,
Let's find a mountaintop
Maybe a meadow where we'll flop
And make a circus of clouds that fly
Above our heads in the sky

This poem is for Poem a Day prompt 14 by Catherine Lee write a "stuck" poem; and for the creative folks at Poetry Jam who invite us to write about the circus at poetryjaam.blogspot.com
Sorry, I really did/do avoid the circus, it always made me sad.  But the big top of a mountain?  Happy!!

37 comments:

  1. pachyderm poo....haha...you made me giggle...oy, everyone hates clowns...i was a clown once...smiles...the elephants do make me sad though...

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    1. That is wonderful!! So glad I made you giggle :-) Funny how clowns have the opposite effect, my kids were terrified of them

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  2. I so agree with you on this one Sara! I've mostly found the circus to be more creepy and depressing than entertaining...although there were definitely some talented folks who worked in them. Give me a mountain, meadow and sky for sure!

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    1. Hi Jennifer!! Yep, a circus is like a rite of passage you have to go, at least once, then hopefully never again. Good point about the talent there, lots of that. See you in the mountains :-)

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  3. Funny enough it can bring the opposite effect. It's supposed to be a happy occasion since 'the circus is coming to town' Nicely Sara!

    Hank

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    1. Hi Hank!! Nice to see you. It is ironic. Thank you for the compliment:-)

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  4. LOL! Well done. And it's amazing how many kids have a clown aversion.

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    1. Hi Mad!! So nice to share a laugh with you:-)

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  5. Even I do not like the animals being mistreated in circus ... I guess they look best in jungles :-)

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    1. Hi G.S.! Always good to see you. I absolutely agree, jungles are where they belong :-)

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  6. Stands up and applauds. I could tolerate a non animal circus, but even then, have always hated clowns. Yes, give me a mountain and clouds to dream in any day. :)
    Great imagery Sara

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    1. Hi Brenda!! Thank you so much for the applause :-) I'll see you on the mountaintop, with an order of extra puffy clouds...

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  7. Beautiful combination of the two prompts. Cleverly done.

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    1. Hi Dave!! Really appreciate the visit and the compliment--looking forward to reading your latest :-)

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  8. I have enjoyed the circus occasionally. Even in the last few years I went with my grandchildren...but I prefer watching the human skilled performers to the animal acts, except I really do like the trained little dogs who really (I think) DO enjoy what they do. But I will pass on clown appreciation as well.

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    1. Hi Mary!! I forgot about the trained dogs, they are amazing. And I think they do enjoy performing, definitely more than the other animals--though I think some of the horses enjoy it too. :-) Thank you.

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  9. Nicely done! I've never been a huge circus fan ... think the music and bright colored costumes are my favorite parts.

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    1. Hi Helen!! Yes, I was going to try and fit calliope in there somewhere, but it just didn't work--love music. :-)

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  10. I think I went to the circus once, but I don't remember it well. You'll be happy to know they are starting to ban live animals in circuses in some places. :)

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    1. Hi Rachel!! That does make me happy, thank you for that bit of news. Did you know that they have found that elephants communicate subsonically, with stomping. We used to think that they didn't communicate with sound because we couldn't hear it...

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  11. P.S. I really liked the poem. Children feel the truth.

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    1. Thank you Rachel! What a beautiful thing to say :-)

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  12. Loved it. Especially that ending. I do feel sometimes that clouds perform the most incredible acrobatic tricks.

    Thanks for your recent message. Where's your husband from? I bet that if he's an "habanero" he will be joining me today to celebrate our city's birthday (which is mine as well! :-D).

    Thanks for the poem. It was fun.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Hi!! Thank you so much for the visit. You are right, my husband is a "habanero," even though I didn't know that until I asked him! :-) Knew he was from Havana, just didn't know the habanero part...
      He came here when he was 6 so he doesn't celebrate the city's birthday. However, we used to go to parties in Miami that were essentially a gathering of all the people from a particular city in Cuba. Always thought that was interesting.

      Happy Birthday!! Hope it's a wonderful day.

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  13. I agree with you. I loved the circus as a child, but once grown the magic began to fade and I was left with sadness.

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    1. Hi Dana!! Great to see you again :-) funny how things change with knowledge, sometimes ignorance is bliss, right?

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  14. Sara, I have always HATED the circus, and I LOVE this piece!

    de

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    1. Hi De!! One more thing we have in common--Circus dislike :-) thank you for the love and glad you liked the title, I'm always impressed with yours.

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  15. Wow - this is one of the most unique poems I've ever read :)

    GREAT blog btw!

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    1. Hello!! Welcome and thank you very much for the "wow" and unique compliment. Look forward to visiting your site and reading your poems as well :-)

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    2. Thank you for visiting my blog!! So I am a huge fan of yours now after perusing your amazing poetry and was wondering if I may be your latest follower?

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    3. Absolutely! Join in the fun:-) Thank you

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  16. I think the mountain top sounds much more inviting too!

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    1. Hi! Welcome!! Love your mountaintop photo :-) Greatly appreciate the visit and warm words.

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  17. I'm glad you told it like it is about the circus...a very sad place indeed...except for Cirque du Soleil!

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  18. i'm not a fan of the circus either, but i did enjoy your poem!

    thanks for participating at Poetry Jam!

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Your words are wonderful! Thanks for popping in--I'll be over in a snap!