My father and I went to the circus
Under a Big Top in Lea Bridge Road.
When it wasn’t there the ground it was on
Was used as a fair and we went there too.
But back to the circus, with animals then;
Elephants, seals, horses, lions, chimpanzees;
The men and the girls on the flying trapeze;
The clowns with red hooters and comical tooters.
So many things going on in the ring.
The bare back riders, the man on the tight rope.
A safety net hung to catch flyers who might drop.
The music, the popcorn, seats near the front row;
A spectacle under the Ring Master’s nose.
Not many of these sort of shows any more.
They say it is cruel to make animals work,
But the elephants seemed to have had a good time.
They enjoyed all the chocolates I put in their trunks
When they were displayed at the end of the show.
We went home on the bus and sat on the top
And then my dad sneezed; his dentures fell out
And they split in half. Oh, how I laughed!
He never cared; never had them repaired.
At times I’d enjoy simply being a boy.