just for kicks imagine the sun cold asleep beneath a wild oak tree (what do you see?) dawn sits on a set of red stairs prays for serenity, cyclones we’re all saints & cannibals, she seems to say odds of war men: the images are finite, but the thinking is eternal neither born nor dies nor bears emerald fruit in this angry, proud circus the girls & ghosts return play hopscotch under a tall desert moon their eyes are asteroids pale, inquisitive does the future hold freedoms we’ve already lost? (that, i wish i knew) who eats sunshine like oranges splits atoms, saves the best of us
An observation: I’ve noticed that, whenever my poetry starts becoming too orderly, too structured, or too predictable (at least, for me), I invariably get an urge to go in and mess it all up. I want to create something weird, decidedly unstructured, and nonsensical. After the last several poems I published here (all of which I like…but they are, indeed, orderly) It’s like I crave chaos. The novelty of disruption. That’s what this poem is (and I expect there will be others to follow shortly). A helpful disruption, a way of bringing myself back into balance. I wonder, do any of you do this, as well?
The Used Life 
14 responses to “Proud Circus”
Ace!xo
Oh, too much! But it’s good to balance 🙂
*They passed upon the stair*
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Ha thanks, Nick! Good to know I’m not the only one. 🙂
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I love this poem and I love to change things up too. I was like that as a HS teacher. My life would have been easier if I had not craved change, but that is boring and not me.
The clown drawing is perfect. The content, language, flow, and rhythm of this poem demand that it be read in an entertaining, nonconforming style. By a clown, moving in a clown fashion. 🤡 😁
There are too many fantastic lines to list, but I love the contrast in this one~
“we’re all saints & cannibals,”
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Thank you for the fabulous commentary. What you say about the poem moving in a “clown fashion” is very interesting…you’ve helped me see something here I hadn’t seen before. ☺️
And I agree that life would often be easier without that pesky need to keep changing things up, but it does make the everyday so much more interesting, doesn’t it? And I’m certain your students welcomed the excitement, too.
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You are most welcome. It is always a pleasure to read your poetry and prose. As I read your poem, I imagined a clown reciting each line. My silly mind. 😂
Yes, changing things up keeps life interesting. I don’t look for ways to make life more difficult or unnecessarily dramatic, but when it comes to activities or things that allow some creative wiggle room, I take it! Thank you. Have a lovely day.
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A clown reciting each line… haha I love it! 🤡 I hope you have a great day, too.
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It was quite a visual and quite a poem! 😁
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Couldn’t agree more. Sometimes you just have to turn things on their head and see what happens.
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For sure. Good to know you feel the same.
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I need both too…order, chaos, and things in between…creative endeavors, I feel, need both…life is full of moments that swing back and forth between opposites so feeling the need to touch both in one’s writing is a way to get out what is difficult to interpret…but just as important to release.
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Beautifully said. I couldn’t agree more. It’s imperative, especially in creative endeavors, to give voice to every aspect of ourselves that needs to be heard.
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Writing is my relief from chaos. It sometimes makes its way into my stuff, but I try to keep things nice and structured. I’ve been told my imagery is chaotic though, but it doesn’t seem that way to me.
Other than that, always excited to read another great poem from you. Cheers!
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Oh, I don’t think your imagery is chaotic. I think there’s a very clever logic at work in your poetry. And thank you for commenting! I think it’s fascinating how creativity can fill these different needs for us–from creating order to chaos and other states in between.
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