Daily Cascade

This Circus!

Prompt:
Have fun with these words:
Elves, cloaks, spaghetti, mouse, lift. advertise, betray, tent, and attraction.

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This Circus!

When I was little, I thought, life would be
acrobats, clowns, and stunts, silly me!

Under a striped *tent, I thought life's circus would hum
at dusk, with *elves in velvet *cloaks juggling stars, and
*spaghetti (and I so loved spaghetti), such fun! And
a painted *mouse would ride to a drumroll’s pulse,
to the *lift of gasps and claps from the crowd.

When I was little, I thought, life would be
acrobats, clowns, and stunts, silly me!

In my mind's eye, I saw the stars and posters
*advertise the wonder in curling ink, but I didn't
know that some cute tricks could *betray the hands
that made them, and that laughter never lasted long, yet
now, I hope for a brief and bright final *attraction.

For now I'm old, and life still is just the same, I see,
with acrobats, clowns, stunts, plus tears, silly me!