Circus, Circus

 

At 14 after my father’s death

I walked the woods in circles

Like a lion paces a ring

When the whip cracks

 

At 28 as my mother died

I tight roped coke lines

Over a boiling sea of alcohol

 

Today, after 48 years

I returned to Vegas

Walked straight lines,

Up and down the strip,

Circles inside ornate casinos

 

48 years ago we were 21

Gambling in brand new Circus, Circus

Free drinks and one armed bandits

You have been dead 21 years

Your number came up

 

Today’s Circus, Circus carpet

Is worn thin as my hair

Both fade life colors

Both trodden by lost bets

 

I play roulette with a love

That is flesh, blood, bone

Steady heart, resonant mind

A light at the end of this tunnel

A blessing if I believed in such things

 

Taking chances in lines and circles

Tumbling numbers down a craps table

Caught in temporary orbit roulette wheel

I have yet to cash out

 

Still drawn to the barker’s call

I will think of you, my friend

As long as the carousel spins