February 6, 2018

pay no attention to the circus

Entering the tent, a single ticket in your fist, it will be tempting to fall prey
to the juggling man and the dizzying orbit his subjects take. Your gaze might
equally swivel to the precarious acrobatics above you on the trapeze, the muscles
in your neck warning you fruitlessly as you bend at odd angles for a better view. 
It's possible the noise of the animals alone will be enough to keep you from your path
to your seat, the collision of such disparate species a marvel that may manipulate
your beliefs about the nature of beasts. Whatever you do, do not mistake these scenes
as the narrative of your own mind or instructions for more agile living. Soon enough,
the curtain will descend and behind it, the actors will scurry to the exits, forgetting the lines
they'd learned, their brief intimacy and polish vanishing, like a vapor, in the sawdust.