Behind the Curtain

'The Circus’ is such a dirty phrase that does
no justice to the old magic of the
word 'Carnival.’ The carnival was such
a place of intrigue, false identities
and shrouded faces which we flirted with
as children, peeking from behind our parents legs.

The men and women of the show did so
much more than shock with feats and tricks.
Away from paying eyes, the people under
the paint and hats, the lights and leotards
and glitter, lived in trailers cracked with rust.

With no one watching, they would play the songs
of home – of Spain, of Sweden, and Utah –
to children of their own, and whisper tunes
in French and Gaelic over tinny sounds
of mandolins and banjos under their
deflated Big Top and ice-white moonlight.