I lived right next to the tracks,
And, there’s not much that I didn’t see;
But, from all appearances,
It looked like a circus…to me!

As soon as the train stopped,
The passenger car door opened wide;
Out spilled a hundred people,
Of every color, shape and size!

An even greater surprise…came,
As they began to unload;
Elephants…horses and tigers,
And, all made their way down…down our road.

Goodness gracious…they were heading,
Heading toward Doyle Field;
People and animals scurrying back and forth,
It looked like a battleground.

But, organized…Yes, they were,
For…in no time at all;
Huge tents went up and animal pens,
Such efficiency…as I recall!

Well, such a parade they put on,
The whole town came out to see;
What I liked best was the music,
As they played it on the calliope.

An instrument unlike any other,
And, it ran by steam…believe it or not;
A happy refrain…rather high-pitched,
Why…even their fancy horses wanted to trot!

THE DAY THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN,
It was a day to be remembered;
But, you know…that night was even greater,
I’ll always remember it…as a youngster!

The whole area was lite-up,
Both the ground and the sky;
Ablaze with lights of every color,
Brighter than my Christmas lights…of this I testify.

And, the excitement…inside the tent,
As each and every act took place;
Amidst cheers and clapping hands,
Were the smiles…on every face!

The Ring Master announced each act,
And, he blew his whistle…loudly;
Then, the elephants would lumber by,
As the costumed ladies…road on them…proudly.

Squeals of delight…from the children,
As the clowns tumbled about;
And, the fire-eater…he was superb,
All of us were having fun…without a doubt!

While, overhead the acrobats,
Went from trapeze to trapeze;
And, the tight-wire walkers…Wow!
They did it with such grace and ease.

`Round and `round…in the ‘big top’,
Went the girls on galloping steeds;
Such poise and confidence…they showed,
As the horses galloped past…with great speed.

Well, the show was finally over,
Although…I wished it would never end;
It was way past my bedtime,
So, that’s where I was sent.

The next morning…bright and early,
I hopped right out of bed;
I was off to see the circus,
But, during the night…they had fled!

The tents were all packed-up,
And, the animals in their cages;
Each box-car was filled to its limit,
And, they were gone……

Did they really come at all,
Or, had I only dreamed it?
THE DAY THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN,
I’ll have to think about that…for a minute!

********

July 4, 2004

Aimee Love
(LHG)