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| Image from Wikimedia Commons |
Ladies and gentlemen,
Boys and girls,
Children of all ages…
I invite you to step inside the Halls of Idiosyncrasy
To witness to this spectacle of the bizarre,
Deformities on public display for all to see.
First, witness the contortionist.
Watch as she manipulates
Her limbs into unnatural poses,
Far beyond the limitations
Normally required of human beings,
Shaping herself to the whims of those around her.
Here we see the sword swallower,
Ingesting every blade handed to her,
All those cutting words of sharpened steel,
Risking evisceration with every mouthful,
Her bleeding scars unseen by the outside world.
Next comes the bearded lady,
Genetics and hormones
Transforming this once-beautiful woman
Into a hirsute horror
Seeking to hide her shame
Behind scarves and veils.
Behold the snake charmer,
Whispering just the right words
To calm the wrath of the serpents
Who slither through deception
Then coil in defensive postures,
Ready to strike at any moment.
Finally we have the fire eater,
Consuming blazing words
That should never be left silent,
Determination scorched
In hopes of avoiding annihilation.
And what sets these oddities apart,
You may ask?
This display consists of only one performer…
Me.
Welcome to the freak show I call my life.
~~~ This was written for my prompt this week over at Poetry Jam about the circus. This is also for the prompt from Imaginary Garden with Real Toads asking us as poets to “break the fourth wall” of writing.
20 comments:
Mary, what a strong (and depthful) write you have come up with for your own prompt. Ha, we probably all could be our own show one way or another, as we accomplish amazing (and yes, sometimes freaky) feats in our own lives.
This is so clever. You completely reeled me in. Love the ending!
Wow, this was amazing on so many levels! I really enjoyed you taking me there and I feel sad you feel this way~ (You might need your thyroid checked-it can cause many of these symptoms) (((hugs)))
You really embraced this prompt!
Well Done~
Wow, Mary! You knocked this one out of the ballpark. Each descriptive stanza placed me in the place of the callous observer, there to gawk at abnormalities, then you last lines deliver the blow: this is me, you, all of us on display to the world.
I especially loved the description of the sword-swallower - she seemed particularly poignant to me.
Love this, Mary!!
i totally love hte sideshows...they are my favorite parts...the freaks...ha, maybe i feel a bit at home there myself...smiles...you are not a freak...thought life can def make you feel like it at times...
Very cleverly done Mary. The twist at the end took me by surprise! Thanks for the great prompt.
Halls of Idiosyncrasy...this is cool.
all us freaks eh?
I laughed out loud at the truths within the tents, Mary!
Ha! Your ending got me! Fun surprise...and I do love me some freaks.
Well ... this is quite the poem, I mean exposé! Great writing!!
LOL...Loved the twist at the end...
I love your approach to the prompts. Excellent writing.
Mary, you are so clever! You really had me going there, enjoying your words and descriptions and then, great twist--well done! :-)
words and whims... this is fantastic and yes, life can be a circus! :)
Wonderful idea for a take. There were clues enough, of course, but still you floored me at the end. Marvellous!
My life too can be compared to a circus, especially these past few months. We must put on our clown shoes and silly hats and keep on dancing or it will surely bring us down.
Such a great take on your own prompt!
ooooh loved it... thank you for pointing the poetry jam out to me -would have hated to miss this one!
wow! i wasn't expecting that ending! i love the way you turned things you've gone through/aspects of yourself into the circus "freaks" ~ we all have them, don't we? really amazing writing!
thanks for such a challenging prompt!
♥
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