When Johnstone’s Circus came to town

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  • Published 20140423
  • 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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