I like the circus. So today, there's more than a limerick:
Ode to the Circus
Oh marvel of mayhem, the tented delight,
You shimmer in stripes red and gold through the night.
The popcorn is flying, the trumpets blare wide—
With laughter and wonder, we tumble inside.
The strongman, all brawn with a glint in his eye,
He flexes his muscles—oh my, oh my!
The bearded lady sings ballads so sweet,
And juggles three axes while tapping her feet.
Acrobats twirl through the velvet-tied air,
Their limbs like a whisper, the crowd gasps a prayer.
Clowns tumble out from a car much too small,
Spilling cream pies and glitter and gall.
The lions are pacing, the ringmaster roars—
"Step right up, darlings, there's always more!"
The fire-breathers kiss the sky with their flame,
The knife throwers practice their dangerous game
The candy floss clouds leave a stick on your lips,
The stilt-walkers wink with their towering hips.
The tent grows electric as darkness sets in,
And champagne is flowing like mischief and sin.
But as the last act draws the curtain of night,
The crowd slips away from the carousel of light.
Yet deep in the shadows behind tented seams,
The circus awakes to more adult dreams…
For covered in sawdust right there in the hay,
The lion tamer is tamed in a very new way.
The clown sheds his paint, the mime finds her voice,
And suddenly silence is not her top choice.
The bearded lady? She’s losing her beard,
The fire-breather’s mouth is no longer feared.
Acrobats tangle in knots not rehearsed—
Thy tumble in the net and slate their lewd thirst.
So cheer for the circus, both daring and bright,
A spectacle grand in the day and the night.
But heed this small warning—if you peek past the show,
You may find out things you weren’t meant to know…