aka, The Abject Muse

The Circus!

Today at dVerse, our prompt is “Come to the Circus!”

Here it comes again —

the circus: where animals

cry on the inside.

 

Performing stupid

painful, unnatural tricks

wishing they were home.

 

Whips and prods, people

yelling laughing big bright lights—

no wonder they snap.

 

SusanWritesPrecise
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Comments

39 responses to “The Circus!”

  1. annell4 Avatar
    annell4

    Yes, that is how I remember the circus!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      I think circuses should be banned everywhere, but that probably won’t happen. Thank you for stopping by!

      Like

      Reply
  2. gillena cox Avatar
    gillena cox

    Nice write

    Much😊💛😊love

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you gillena!

      Like

      Reply
  3. Beverly Crawford Avatar
    Beverly Crawford

    The other side of the coin behind the lights and the magic. Well written.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thanks, Beverly!

      Like

      Reply
  4. Dorianna Avatar
    Dorianna

    Part of the circus few give thought to sadly…how the poor animals feel. nicely penned

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you, Dorianna. I do feel for the animals.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. S M Connor Avatar
    S M Connor

    Thankfully, I’ve never seen a circus with animal acts – other than horses. This is very poignant, and goes right to the heart of it. The illustration is perfectly chosen, too – those elephants look deeply unhappy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you, SM. Yes, the expressions on the elephants’ face says it all.

      Like

      Reply
  6. V.J. Knutson Avatar
    V.J. Knutson

    It’s so unnatural. Thankfully, kids today are smarter.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Yes, thank God. I’d only been to one circus in my life and that was enough. Thank you, VJ!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. V.J. Knutson Avatar
        V.J. Knutson

        One was enough for me too.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Jane Dougherty Avatar
    Jane Dougherty

    How I feel too. Animals in circuses are banned in many places. Even one of the big family circuses here, Bouglione (French spelling, Italian name) have come out for animal welfare and condemn the circuses that still use and abuse animals.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Good for them! I hope one day all circuses are animal-free. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

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      1. Jane Dougherty Avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        Most European countries have a ban on wild animals, and many towns here won’t allow circuses with any animal acts at all.

        Like

  8. Frank Hubeny Avatar
    Frank Hubeny

    I like the description of animals crying on the inside.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you, Frank!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) Avatar
    Björn Rudberg (brudberg)

    I love your viewpoint… and I actually think the circus becomes better with acrobats and trapeze magicians

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thanks, Bjorn. I wish they wouldn’t have animals at all.

      Like

      Reply
  10. Glenn Buttkus Avatar
    Glenn Buttkus

    Today, Cirque replaces Circus, and there are no animal acts–but there still are some small traveling Circus groups that cling to the animal traditions; a dying art form for sure.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank God!

      Like

      Reply
  11. anmol(alias HA) Avatar
    anmol(alias HA)

    It is a grim reminder of this exploitation — I admire your critique of this system. Well-penned.
    -HA

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thanks so much, HA!

      Like

      Reply
  12. Frank J. Tassone Avatar
    Frank J. Tassone

    A searing look beyond the big top. Wonderful senryu sequence!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thanks so much, Frank!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Frank J. Tassone Avatar
        Frank J. Tassone

        My pleasure! 😇

        Like

  13. Singledust Avatar
    Singledust

    sadly this is the truth, the reality we pretend not to see

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Agreed! Thanks for stopping by, Singledust.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  14. Waltermarks Avatar
    Waltermarks

    I have to admit, I’ve never seen the circus. I wanted to but the folks never took us. My memories are all of films. When I think of jumping through hoops and fending off vicious people with whips, I think of work

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thanks Waltermarks. It makes me think of slavery. Thanks for stopping by!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. Chris Hall Avatar
    Chris Hall

    Appropriately brutal and sad, for a horrid and unnecessary form of ‘entertainment’. A great way to highlight.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you, Chris. Much appreciated!

      Like

      Reply
  16. rothpoetry Avatar
    rothpoetry

    It does seem absurd to put animals through those antics. Well Done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you, Roth. :-)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  17. memadtwo Avatar
    memadtwo

    Finally, people are thinking of the animals, not just using them. It’s taken far too long. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      Thank you mtm. Glad you stopped by!

      Like

      Reply
  18. purplepeninportland Avatar
    purplepeninportland

    So sadly the truth.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. The Abject Muse Avatar
      The Abject Muse

      I know. It’s heartbreaking. Thank you for stopping by.

      Like

      Reply

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