Monday, June 16, 2008

FW: from tim torkildson




From: tork49@hotmail.com
To: bb@pioneerpress.com; tork49@hotmail.com
Subject: from tim torkildson
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:46:29 +0000

I wonder if the circus tent
still sets up in the park,
coming in on deisel fumes
while morning slips from dark,
and the squalid roustabouts,
tepid coffee swilling,
roll the canvas sections out,
as the dew is chilling.
Pennants snapping in the breeze,
arthritic bleachers cracking,
sawdust sprinkled frugally,
prop boxes unpacking;
guy wires thrum constantly,
laundry on them drying,
as the cookhouse opens up
with baloney frying.
Water for the animals
from a hydrant pumping --
elephants and stable boys
in the shade are slumping.
Weary early morning work
for circus folk, no doubt,
as they battle dust and flood
each day of summer's route.
I haven't seen a poster
for a circus in a while.
I wouldn't mind some peanuts
or the clown's extended smile.
The big top in a field of grass
is such a mythic sight
for youth who bask in sunshine
and the old who face the night.
Symbol of a passing age
when leisure was more fun,
I wonder if the circus tent
with charming us is done?


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