Step Right Up, It's Showtime Folks!

Step right up it's showtime folks!!!'

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As a poet the world

to me is a circus 

a carnival...a carousel

of swirling colors... 

an endless fair that

isn't always fair at all.

A daily parade of

acts that often

shock or make me laugh 

or sometimes cause 

me to weep

and many that make me

sit in awe and wonder??

There are so many

vivid mouth watering smells 

that you can almost taste,

like those stomach gnawing 

scents of carnival food

wafting through the 

propellers of a fan

on a hot August day.

There is a calliope

of sound as well... 

both pleasing,

and jangling to the ears.

My daily walks through

my life's midway offers me

tantalizing temptations

presented in good taste.

Like the tang of

salt water taffy 

or the sweet melted

fibers of cotton candy 

a kiss on the spur

of the moment 

a night out with old friends 

a child's hand holding

tightly onto my finger 

plus so much more.

Then there are the

many chances to grab 

the brass ring...

to win the big prize 

to take it all for nothing.

But life's midway 

also delivers up bad tastes...

a host of loud mouth carnies 

shouting from all sides,

at the rube of my soul.

Blatantly announcing

all the latest

that is available to endure.

Those endless carnal acts...

children abused, wives's beaten...

babies murdered..dirty bombs 

corrupt governments...demon priests...

and the haunting vaporization

of almost 3,000 souls...

exploded into 20,000 pieces 

like the balloons that catch darts

in the gaming booths.

As a poet I hold a

front row seat..where I sit 

and contemplate the

three rings before me 

those rings of past...

present..and future 

then of course I feebly

attempt to turn 

the scenes that I've

observed into words 

that when read by others

will become pictures 

again clearly seen

A poet is not only a spectator...

but a performer as well. 

sometimes a contortionist bending

words and twisting meanings 

into convoluted shapes..

different from normal language 

but that often make more sense.

And poets with their

heads in the clouds 

are akin to hi-wired artists...

with their fragile egos 

balanced precariously on

the lines they've created 

that will never

realistically support them 

yet still they inch forward

across the blank spaces...

filling it with their 

daring attempts

to express and impress.

Poets are also Vendors...

hawking their bright and colorful 

balloons of thought 

to the masses.... 

Though many of these escape

the grasps of others minds 

and float high above

thier comprehension. 

but many more are grasped

in the same manner as a 

5 year old child holds a

bright red balloon with a grin 

plastered on his face...

watching it bob and dance 

at the end of each line.

A poet can also be

clown-like in their efforts 

similar to 40 clowns

in a Volkswagen...poets try 

to squeeze all the emotions

of one moment into 4 stanzas.

Poets can be clowns who paint

smiles or frowns on others faces 

drawing out expressions..

eliciting joy..exaggerating 

life in an over-sized way...

like the shoes of Emmett Kelly 

Presenting all of life's peculiarities

in a simple easy to understand way.

A poet specializes in admissions 

and offers tickets to

a whole new world... 

a chance to enjoy 

the viewpoints

of another perspective 

to look through 

someone elses

rose colored glasses.

A poet is a ringmaster

who paints vivid scenarios of 

all that was and is and will be...

offering a selection 

of fine artistic endeavors...

that allows you to choose 

which ones you'd

prefer to view or ignore.

So kick off your shoes...

grab yourself some 

freshly popped 

or sweetly swirled...

then step into

"My" big top.

Feel that sawdust

between your toes..

there's a seat 

reserved for you here...

in one of the front rows.

Just sit a spell...

while I display

and script the things life 

taught me on the way

through its hoops

Let the words tumble..

leap and cavort

across your view 

Let them move

and shake you...

or bring tears

and whimsical smiles...

and guffaws of laughter.

Step right up folks!!!

The show starts in a few minutes 

right here on this site...

over 1,682 acts carefully crafted 

in talent gathered here

and assembled for your perusal..

Smell the grease paint...

hear the roar of the crowd 

watch the beasts of creativity

leap from their mental blocks 

The whole shebang is only

available for a short while 

in the grand scheme of eternity...

"IT'S SHOWTIME FOLKS ! ! ! !"