Don’t Watch Her Leave
A juggler announces fair beauty And she sits upon a pedestal Smaller than she was before Accommodating his need To keep her on display One can’t help but wonder If this porcelain figure Truly traveled through the past For if she did Where are her cracks? The juggler continues his craft Each ball glowing with life He stole from the world Slinging them round And crafting his own universe So come to the circus! Where the elephant forgot to dance The lion has lost her voice And the porcelain display Whispers warnings For all but him to hear What a lovely circus! But don’t look away Or the elephant disappears And the lion won’t stay The figure will fade Smaller than before And the juggler will curse His vanishing display When the tent lights with color Strobing blues and reds Wonder what you’ll find And what you wish It was instead There is wailing in the circus So call all your friends See a juggler win a game Like he always does In the end Popcorn litters the floor But don’t mind the smell The festering comes From someone else’s Hell The lion returns to stalk the stage Ribs bare Flesh rotting off the bones And head held high This is how you know The porcelain doll is For a moment Safe Promise me Promise you’ll watch her stay Let your heart break When the lion turns to glass Watch when her joints shatter And when she leaves shards on the ground But promise me Promise That you won’t watch her leave.
