When Johnstone’s Circus came to town

Poetry

When Johnstone’s Circus came to town

Kevin Densley

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Published 20140506
ISBN: 9781922182258
Extent: 264 pp
Paperback (234 x 153mm), eBook

At an unfashionable seaside resort,

no more than a country town

that happened to be near salt water,

Johnstone’s Circus arrived

for its annual summer season,

though most of its well-known family

of spangled, toothy artistes

had long ago died,

replaced by a motley ensemble.

‘The Big Top’ wasn’t big;

more like’The Medium Top’.

Small tears and gaps in the canvas walls

meant kids and shameless adults

who hadn’t bought a ticket

peeped in at the show

or crawled between flaps

to squeeze into the audience.

The tent poles leant on an angle.

. . .

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About the author

Kevin Densley

Kevin Densley lives in Gherang, Victoria. His poetry has been widely published in Australia and the UK. Densley's latest collection is Lionheart Summer (Picaro 2011)

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