The Circus

Larry D. Thomas

The Carousel Maker

For permanence,
he renders his horses
in thick, durable plastic,
and, for motion, impales them
with stainless steel poles. 

He studs their harnesses
with jewels of frozen fire.
Careful to capture them
at the zenith of life,
he rears them, bares their teeth, 

flares their nostrils to the point
of tearing, and, to spark
a little terror in the child,
exaggerates the whites
of their wild, protuberant eyes.

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