Circus Visions Poem by Max Reif
Circus Visions
A young woman balances
en pointe on one foot
atop a man’s head.
Then gracefully, she
turns a full circle.
A little later, a torch, lighted at both ends,
flies onto the stage from the wing,
A man catches it
and proceeds to make
flame his tango partner.
A keystone cop fire brigade comes out.
They use their hoses as long jump ropes
before getting completely tangled up in them.
Meanwhile, an S & M policewoman
at the front of the stage
rotates a girl’s jump-rope
‘round her body faster
than my amazed eye can follow.
Whole groups dive through hoops,
toss silver pins at rapid fire.
By the finale,
the quickest way
between two points
is not walking,
but a full-body flip.
We in the audience see a world
whose laws seem not to be our laws.
Such miracles do surgery to our eyes,
removing cobwebs of unconscious life.
We see a Dali world, full-blown upon the stage—
never the years of arduous labor
that brought that world to birth.
Nice visuals throughout, and the 2nd to last stanza is terrific.
Just my opinion, but the last two stanzas beginning with 'we in the audience' are the poem. The images are nice, but that last part is absolutely the heart and soul. Have we been to the same carnival lately?
A celebration of some of the extreme capabilities of the human physique, it's bravery and it's humour. And not an exploited animal in sight. Excellent stuff finely presented.
Wonderful picture you've painted here, it's a different world, thrills, excitement, unreal in a way, but you brought the whole thing to life so well. Lovely. Love Ernestine XXX
I really like the sights, sounds and SPEED of this show, congratulations, Max!
This is really interesting, Max. When I watch something like you described, I often feel I have entered a dream (sometimes even a nightmare) and amazed as I am, I am usually glad when it is over. Your closing two stanzas make the poem more than a simple description of a circus. Good work. Raynette
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/24/2024 5:54:24 AM # 1.0.0.1119
a delightful poem to begin the new year just the right amount of magic and wisdom flowing one into the other