Damn Everything But The Circus!

  
   "Damn everything but the circus--damn everything that is grim, dull, motionless, unrisking, inward turning; damn everything that won't get in the circle, that won't enjoy, that won't throw its heart into the tension, surprise, fear and delight of the circus, the round world, full of existence..."

                                                                                   --E. E. Cummings                      
                                    

 

 Siobhan and I recently attended a performance of Cirque Italia.  They are a somewhat small circus by today's standards, but their performers are first-rate. These young aerialists, acrobats, and jugglers all gave flawless performances, most doing more than one act.  The same performers sold popcorn and snow cones with a smile during intermission, and cheerfully directed traffic in the parking lots when it was time to go.  No prima donnas here! We marveled at their efficiency and their willingness to share the work load.  Even with their many jobs, they still found the time to chat with us after the show...

  

 

 Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  As Siobhan and I drove homeward, we reminisced about all the performances we've seen in the past 33 years-- for Siobhan, a lifetime of circuses... Some were large, some were small, but all were memorable.  Over the years, some aspects of circus life have changed--costume styles, modes of travel, sometimes the acts themselves.  Gone are the side shows, the dancing bears, the strong man acts.  One thing has NOT changed--Siobhan and I Never tire of the circus...      

 

 

There is just something about a circus...an indefinable "something", something with timeless appeal that transcends barriers of age and language and gender; something that gladdens each heart and puts a sparkle in every eye.  All the world loves a circus! 

 

 

But no one loves a circus quite so much as Siobhan.  I took her to her first circus when she was a very small child; we have not missed a single circus since. Now she is grown... yet still she sits on the edge of her seat, madly applauding and laughing with delight.  The age-old magic of the circus still has the power to entrance her--the glitter and glamour, the daring and the danger, the tantalizing smells of popcorn and cotton candy that seem to hang in the air.  They all weave their spells, and Siobhan embraces them whole-heartedly. 

 

 

 

 Here Siobhan is in her element; she is very much at home under the Big Top.  My daughter is a talented aerialist in her own right, and a noteworthy animal trainer as well.  More than anyone, Siobhan understands the reality of the circus--the long hours of practice, the frustration, the sweat, the blisters, the occasional broken bone--the grueling work it often takes to perfect such an act... 

 

 

 Even so, the circus magic still works its spell on her.  I look at Siobhan in the darkness, with the many colored spotlights playing across her radiant face; I give silent thanks to the circus, for all the times it filled her heart with happiness, and thrilled  her soul with excitement and anticipation... May it always do so.  Damn everything but the circus!       

 

 

 

"Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously; it'll all work out in the end."

                                              --David Niven