Monday, August 30, 2010

The Circus Of Life




WEEKEND WRITERS' RETREAT
http://weekendwritersretreat.blogspot.com/
and
BIG TENT POETRY
Here is this week's prompt:
'This week, give yourself permission to eavesdrop and steal.'
So I have stolen from the Blog's How-To-Join page!
Here is the original quote:
"You are a member of the circus the moment you discuss a prompt, post a poem (or a link to a poem), comment on an article or participate in an activity.  "

THE CIRCUS OF LIFE.

You, already, are a member of the circus,
For life is lived with sawdust and with paint,
Your ponies gallop round and round like crazy
As you pretend to be the things you aint!
You tackle great big lions in your dealings,
You juggle different balls up in the air,
You swing from high trapezes when you're happy
And do things that you never thought you'd dare.
But you're the Sad Clown when you lose your footing,
Although your nose may be a jolly red,
And it breaks your heart when people roar with laughter
Every time you fall and bang your stupid head!
Sometimes you chance to act as the Ringmaster,
In charge of everyone, top of your game!
At other times you're mucking-out the stables,
A thousand miles away from any fame.
Yes, Life's a Circus and we all are in it;
We live our lives beneath a huge Big Top.
We're dancing to the crazy blaring music
Hoping like mad that it will never stop.
*
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Memories are precious things. And some of the most poignant and precious are, in themselves, slight. This memory is slight, but it is always with me.
A WINTER'S TALE

The play was over.
All the giggling and terrible acting were done.
We were young village girls
Performing at a neighbouring village hall.
Was it two miles from home or more?
The distance escapes me.
Does it matter?
All that matters is the stars.
That and the frost.
Transport arrived to take us home.
Some would have to 'start walking'.
(In my memory we walked all the way.)
Does it matter?
All that matters is the stars.
That and the frost.
Five of us linked arms
And started walking homewards.
We didn't speak;
We had done with laughter
And bad acting.
Were there five of us?
Does it matter?
All that matters is the stars.
That and the frost.
The memory of that night
And that walk
Is with me still.
'A Winter's Tale'
Demands snow and a full moon.
We had no moon, no snow,
No Christmas-cardy
Effulgence of night-time glory.
We had a dark blue sky,
A billion stars,
And a road fast-crisping
In the icy stillness.
The air was bitter.
Our breath billowed out,
Temporarily clouding the stars.
Branches, whitening before our eyes,
Stood stiffly,
Surely ready to snap.
We walked in unison,
Briskly, because of the cold.
One could almost say we marched.
No words were spoken,
Yet such a sense of companionship
Pervaded that night
That I remember the silence
As a meaningful conversation.
We spread out
Right across the vehicle-free road.
(This was 1947 remember!)
What a poor old 'Winter's Tale'!
Silence,
Except for the
Sound of flinty feet
On the fast-frosting road.
And the vision of periwinkle stars.
*

12 comments:

geraldgee said...

Both poems brilliant BB.
Though not a girl the second one reminds me of army days,getting back to camp from a weekends leave and walking across the parade ground. on a cold frosty night

Susannah said...

What gorgeous writing! I so enjoyed both of these, the first for the truth in its words and the second for its beauty.

ELizabeth said...

You are not the only one who cheated a bit, so did I. And I really like what you did with the circus and all the moments of ups and downs we all encounter. The second poem has a strange beauty about it that I really like a lot. I can feel the cold, the frost, and see the moon and hear your feet marching through the night. Really good stuff here,

Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

I love both of these poems, and have read them several times. The circus one zings with rhythm and atmosphere, and the winter's tale reminds me of my long ago teenage years, and of how intense every experience was then.

gautami tripathy said...

Both are very well written.

pavement musings

Tilly Bud said...

I love your circus poem; wonderful!

I liked the refrain in your second poem 'All that matters is the stars.'

Diane T said...

So many wonderful roles under the big top. A different role for different seasons of life. I like this poem.

Alice Audrey said...

Sometimes those companionable walks at night really stick with you.

I'm not a clown. I'm a sideshow freak. :)

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

"Circus of Life." So true. That one really spoke to me.

Tumblewords: said...

Hoping like mad that it never ends - yes, indeed! Excellent piece!

Cynthia Short said...

Just really enjoyed both these pieces...but the first makes me want to join the circus! The rhyming was great, made it such a fun read...

Deb said...

Thanks for the circus poem!