I don’t understand
when Mom says she used to want
to join the circus. The circus
never comes by our town.
I’ve never seen one.
Mom says there’s a lesson
learned by staying put
but I still don’t know
what she’s talking about. She brings this up
whenever I say I want to
wear a dress. No one has ever
taken me to the circus… only photos
come to mind of elephants
standing on two legs, of men
donned in vibrant colors, of lovely ladies
who sparkle in the spotlight, and a mime.
Always a mime.
Unicycles galore, white amidst lions
roars, but tigers scare me
and tents seem unstable.
Why would anyone
want to join the circus?
But I will tell my mom that if
I can sparkle, I will
stay. If not, then I will go
join the circus
like she says.
