Repost - The Carnival

Poets United has the prompt 'Carnival'.

Here's one I prepared earlier:

The Carnival

Prologue

The air is thick with smells and squeals

Of food and kids and Ferris wheels

There are spruikers, dodgems, chips and stalls

Ghost trains, drinks and mirrored halls.

Gypsies who can read your mind

And snake oil vendors, of the finest kind.

From the outside, you can sense excitement

Oozing from every stall and bright tent.

Spruiker

Come in, come in, you wont regret it!

Life will depress you, if you let it,

Look! Over there, performing fleas!

Children

Oh Daddy, Daddy, can we please?

Father

Escape from life, leave the gloom behind?

Come kids, let’s go see what we can find!

But we must be away by ten, at latest.

Children

Yea for Daddy! You are the greatest!

Gypsy

Good Sir, let me read your palms

Preacher

Your end is written in the Psalms!

Vendor

Get some donuts while they’re hot!

Or perhaps a beer would hit the spot?

Father

A beer and two donuts, the hot jam ones.

And a sausage in one of those long buns.

Actually, I think I’ll have a second beer.

Clown

Balloons, balloons, get your balloons here!

Here kids, let me twist it into a hat

Or would you prefer a dog or a cat?

Woman

Hello, big boy, how can I please you?

Come to my tent and let me squeeze you!

Don’t worry, Bruno, here, will mind the brats!

Father

No, thanks. Hey kids, look! Dancing rats!

Children

Oh yuck! That’s vile. How truly gross.

Dad! Dad! Don’t get so close!

Oh, Dad! Can we go on that spinning ride?

Father

Will you keep your food inside?

I well remember the last time, honey;

Dinner was a waste of money.

Vendor

Hey, show your kids you are a man!

Make the bell ring—if you can!

Children

Go Dad go! Give it a good whack, not a token!

Oh—never mind, it’s probably broken.

Father

Oh look, it’s late, the time has flown,

One last ride then we must head home.

Or would you like to try out the guns?

Children

It’s not fair, we are having fun!

We want to stay until we win a hat.

Gypsy

I knew they were going to tell you that.

Children are the great negotiators!

Preacher

Repent now, prepare to meet your maker!

Father

Come kids, you didn’t listen to what I said,

It’s time I got you home to bed.

Epilogue.

The last folk leave, the night is late,

The spruiker shuts and locks the gate

The stoves are cold, they’ve cut the lights

The music’s gone and the place is quiet

The make-up’s off, the splendor shed

A drink is opened, a paper’s read.

In the caravans around the site

Ordinary people embrace the night.

.

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© 2012   J Cosmo Newbery

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