Two-Ride Carnival

[couchgrouch]

Two Ride CarnivalSaw the House of Mouse in Anaheimmy son and I stood in endless linestold ourselves we had a good timeon that space age roller coasterour vacation took its tolldrove back half in the holebut when we hit town each telephone polewas covered in rainbow colored posterswe saw two old flatbed trucks, four tents in a backlot fieldroll of tickets for seven bucks, tilt-a-whirl and a ferris wheeltwo ride carnivalthat goes from town to townhalf a day setting upthree hours to break it downsilouhette of the funhouseagainst a purple mooncrazy faces on the midwaylike characters from cartoonsthey're fam'lies of outcastsrunaways and gypsiesbut children peeking through their fingerscan feel the hist'ry and myst'ryof a two ride carnivalcrusty old barker with a bent-up caneout front hustling sideshows n gamesstrong man and a guy who swallowed flameand a painted tear clown performing magicwe had the place to ourselves that nightthough we laughed at the tricks n ridesthe empty ferris wheel was a sightthat was somehow lonely and tragicthe strongman's barbells were fake, and the ringtoss was riggedbut we stayed till it got late, cos my boy begged and beggedtwo ride carnivalthat goes from town to townhalf a day setting upthree hours to break it downsilouhette of the funhouseagainst a purple mooncrazy faces on the midwaylike characters from cartoonsthey're fam'lies of outcastsrunaways and gypsiesbut children peeking through their fingerscan feel the hist'ry and myst'ryof a two ride carnivalwell, that barker killed the lightswhen our tickets were spentwe saw that sad clown's shadowalone in his tentonce his tricks were magicbut few see them anymorewhen he wipes off his weeping maskthe mirror sees him crying fora two ride carnivala two ride carnival(c)2005 Robert George