tickets please

the amusement park
tries
so hard
to woo you.
its colors of red
and green,
bold blues
and yellows.
the arrows showing you
the way in,
the way around.
the funhouse,
the wheels
that spin.
the gypsy wants to
guess your weight,
your age,
your future.
take hold of the water
gun, throw
the rings, the ball
into the hole.
swing the hammer
and strike
the bell.
let the cotton candy
stick
to your cheeks,
the splintered
candied apple
wedged between your teeth.
how the sawdust
smells,
rising like some
distant memory.
someone old you used
to know with a cigar,
and bad shoes.
the sad
elephant in the small
cage, with
a girl on top
wearing pink slippers.
the fat lady
on a stool, on a
stage, behind
a curtain that
never closes.
the string of tickets
in your hand,
with always some to
take home.
always.