I wanted to have my own circus
Filled with people like me
The outcasts
The failures
The lovable scoundrels
The righteous wrongdoers
The paradoxes
And oxymorons
There would be no ringleader
We wouldn’t need one
We would lead each other
We would perform for the others
Making them ache with jealously
They would yearn to be us
Instead of the usual reverse
We would perform unimaginable feats
The girl in special ed. Who was teased every day
Would astound them all with impossible twirls from the trapeze
The tall boy would be our giant
Glorious and awe-inspiring
He would juggle fire
And then all the girls who were too fat or too thin would come out on horses
Wearing diamonds and sapphires
Like rain on their skin
They would do cartwheels and handstands
Resting on air
The glamour and magic would change everyone’s minds
Harmony
At last
Peace among the confusion
Sights and smells
And inexpressible emotions
Rising to a crescendo
And then
The audience leaves
Smoke released into the night
When the tent flaps were lifted