Show Day

Where I come from, there is a park.

The horses race there.

Once a year the Show is on.

Farm animals,

agricultural machinery displays,

baking, sewing, best vegetables!

Axemen chopping like the Energizer Bunny.

A man on the loudspeaker explains the next event

happening in front of the main stand.

Hot dogs, blue sky, baking heat.

Crowds of people moving about.

A boy walking by with candyfloss

transports me to my past;

Candyfloss used to be whipped before your eyes,

in a rotating, sugar spinning, drum.

The pink web was collected with a stick and presented in a paper bag.

I dislike the uniform, plastic bagged, mass produced

stuff he has.

The side shows though!

Win.

Toss.

Throw.

Lose.

Shoot.

Take home a giant teddy bear.

The rides too!

Chair-o-plane for the little ones.

Ghost train.

or the Roller Coaster.

Some days the ups and the downs,

the swirling, sweeping curves and the lurches,

the slow grinding trip to the top followed by the

stomach heaving, screaming G force decents

take my mind back there too.

Andrew Thompson