the greatest show on earth

the following is a brief peek inside my brain using the literary technique known as stream of consciousness based on my observations of the shrine circus which i attended earlier today with my two daughters at centrepoint mall in north york, ontario.

oh, look. popcorn. cuanto? five dollars a box? you gotta be kidding me? hey, slushies. combien? four bucks? for shaved ice and food colouring? eh, the kids aren't that hungry anyway. ok, show's starting. better grab our seats. hmmm. rather impressive big top. kinda warm in here though. feeling a little stuffy. uh, can someone open a window please? would it kill them to invest in a fan or two? ok, here comes the ringmaster. oh my g-d! look at that blazer! sequins! and what's with the hair, buddy? got enough gel in there, pal? ok, first act. lion dance? hey, i can put on a lion's head and dance around for six minutes. this ain't no circus act. ok, what's next? oooh, it's the yo-yo ladies. or whatever you call those things they're balancing on those skipping ropes. ok, that was impressive. gotta give props for that. um, getting hotter in here. starting to feel a little lightheaded. can somebody please open a window or something? daddy, i'm thirsty. wait, what's next? contortionists? ow, that's gotta hurt. that's gonna leave a mark. (achoo) uh-oh. why am i sneezing? must be allergic to something in here. can't be the contortionists. wait a minute. next act. uh-oh. dancing horses. just figured out the culprit. not good for the allergies. daddy, i'm thirsty. alright. next act. oh, no. clowns. bring in the clowns. here come the clowns. uh-oh. they're choosing people from the audience. please don't pick me. please don't pick me. whew. thank g-d they didn't pick me. let someone else make a fool of himself. never understood why some folks are afraid of clowns though. they seem pretty harmless. except for that one. and maybe that one. getting hotter in here. don't think i'm gonna make it. (achoo) horsies aren't helping matters any. ok, next act. hey, plate spinners. always wanted to learn how to do that. daddy, i said i'm thirsty! hey, how'd she do that? hold on a minute. those plates gotta be attached. you think that's fine china? don't drop 'em! they'll fire you for sure, lady! ok, final act before intermission. intermezzo. interlude. vase balancing? what's that? oh, i get it. on his head. hey, that's not easy. that's not easy. daddy, please! i need something to drink! it is really hot in here! is it? is it hot in here? eh, i guess it is kinda hot in here. (achoo) alright. that's it. let's go home. no way i'm sitting through the second act. not with my allergies. damn horses.

all the world's a stage
and all the men and women merely players
they have their exits and their entrances
and one man in his time plays many parts...

- william shakespeare

ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages: