circus freak
i would have thought i’d known by now
how to move with strings
tied to my wrists like a violin bow
wrung around clipped wings
our show begins at the gathering dusk
the puppeteer gets to work
i enter stage right – an empty husk
of a woman lost in the cirque
raise the curtains! the puppeteer says
act one shall now commence
i dance and dance in pairs of pairs
– an act of violence
they’re watching me, i know they are
like a whispering circus campaign
they place their bets, they go too far
still i stand and dance again
i stand and sit i stand and sit
so immaculate is this game
at the end of the show, i stand and sit
and the puppeteer calls again
i lie awake and now i see
the word ‘disinfect’ in front of me
i blink my eyes, the puppeteer glees
and lights up the marquee