Highwire

Foolish heart under the big top..

Under the big top
her gypsy heart flutters
the funhouse mirror reflects
a face no longer recognized.

Precariously perched
atop a steel high-wire
perfectly calibrated tension
bridges fantasy and reality.

The carnival hum mesmerizes
eager eyes cajole and stare
no net to catch a balance disrupted
the ringmaster beckons

she steps into thin air.