We all live inside the circus tent and enjoy the trumpets, the high-line acrobats and the animal tamers. We all pay a stiff price for the seating inside that world and feel a great let-down when the lights dim. When the ringmaster takes the final bow we shuffle outside into the other world, carrying the faint diminishing echoes of the calliope with us. That night we dream of being the red-suited ringmaster, controlling all the action.
We can’t be the ringmaster in any form. In my years I’ve learned I can’t control or direct or council anything. It’s bubbles in the wind. The calliope in the far distance, the child at 4.
The memory of the circus is all we can have. Share it like you’ve done and we all gain greatly from your peek inside the tent.
Great piece! As a kid, I was always putting on circuses/shows/performances (and was also frequently called "bossy" by the kids who didn't want to conform to my idea of a good show - whoops!).
A wonderful essay! There are so many reasons to revisit children's books as we grow old. You make that very clear in this engaging piece.
We all live inside the circus tent and enjoy the trumpets, the high-line acrobats and the animal tamers. We all pay a stiff price for the seating inside that world and feel a great let-down when the lights dim. When the ringmaster takes the final bow we shuffle outside into the other world, carrying the faint diminishing echoes of the calliope with us. That night we dream of being the red-suited ringmaster, controlling all the action.
We can’t be the ringmaster in any form. In my years I’ve learned I can’t control or direct or council anything. It’s bubbles in the wind. The calliope in the far distance, the child at 4.
The memory of the circus is all we can have. Share it like you’ve done and we all gain greatly from your peek inside the tent.
Bruce
Great piece! As a kid, I was always putting on circuses/shows/performances (and was also frequently called "bossy" by the kids who didn't want to conform to my idea of a good show - whoops!).
You should think about collecting these in a book.