The year 1871 was the bellweather moment for the American circus when P.T. Barnum debuted his Museum, Menagerie & Circus. They featured exotic animals from all over the world, and visitors were first guided through the menagerie before entering the big top to find their seats. This was part of an educational outreach to draw crowds. People flocked to see the animals and shows but Barnum quickly discovered they were running out of room and needed to turn people away. To solve this problem he added a second and then third ring which allowed more visitors at any given performance.
It was an extravagance of performance and spectacle which drew upon Barnum’s philosophy, “Why send out a minnow when a whale will do?”
Today, the circus is still a popular scene, though it became necessary to re-evaluate its relationship to exotic animals. The circus has since changed many aspects of the show in order to blend with the mores of today. There’s a renewed emphasis on the artistic presentation of an act rather than spectacle. The Big Apple Circus works exclusively with domesticated animals and Cirque du Soleil doesn’t feature animals at all. However, there is a market that still loves the traditional three-ring animal circus and The Greatest Show on Earth.
Try It
Write a poem about the different types of circus animals, the animal parade of the traveling circus, or an original circus menagerie. Consider writing from the perspective of a child. The wonder of lights, color, and thrilling circus animals.
Featured Poem
In last week’s poetry prompt, Rick shared a witty poem inspired by The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot:
The Love Song of Alfred’s Fried Quickdogs
Se ho creduto che ho detto
una persona non dovrebbe tornare a questo
corridoio, La fiamma padella non necessita più di me.
Ma perché burro fritto colpisce profondamente, non posso
resistere al ritorno qui, è vero, senza timore di coronarie proclamo
Let us go then, you and I,
Where the Ferris wheel circles into the sky,
Like a funnel cake upright in my fingers;
Let us go where vendors deep-fry treats,
Of butter and fat meats
And restless crowds spend hours as if some spells
Were cast on them in the House of Haunts,
A curse that followed them insisting
on the penitents of Lent
And the silliness of nutritional type question,
Oh do not ask, “Will it make me sick?”
It’s like a corndog fried in Bisquick..
At the restrooms people come and go,
Holding their stomachs and moaning ohhhhh.
Photo by glasseyes view, Creative Commons via Flickr.
Browse more Circus & Carnival poems
Browse more writing prompts
Browse poetry teaching resources
- Poetry Prompt: Misunderstood Lion - March 19, 2018
- Animate: Lions & Lambs Poetry Prompt - March 12, 2018
- Poetry Prompt: Behind the Velvet Rope - February 26, 2018
Glynn says
And the acrobats come and go
singing of Michaelangelo
Heather Eure says
haha *snort!* (high fives Glynn)
Bethany R. says
Oh, fun!
Maureen says
Their hair like streamers,
so few were left dreamers
while upside down. Such
clowns! No more booted,
they hooted and rooted
just once before touching,
then clutching cleared ground.
Heather Eure says
Love this, Maureen.
Rick Maxson says
There was always a fence,
but with the red and gold tent
gone, the wire waffles the wide shorn field
into something foreign and forbidden
to a child—the gate closed,
the grayscale body of a sycamore
all that remains of a dream.
Bethany R. says
This is lovely, Rick.
Bethany R. says
I can see it: “hair like streamers”
Rick Maxson says
Thank you for featuring this. Poor Mr. Eliot is now turning over in his grave a second time.
Glynn and Maureen you may have started an add-on….
Maureen says
Yes, we did, Rick. I hope others will add to it.
Sandra Heska King says
Rick, I LOVE your tribute to TSE and JAP! Too funny.
Robbie Pruitt says
Circus Ark
Boxcars clank along
Miles of track
As long as the stretch
Between cities and towns
On the sides, faded clowns
The smell of manure wafts
As car after car bellows
Sounds of wild fellows
The trumpet of elephants
The roar of lions and tigers
The howl and bark of dogs
And the neigh of horses
The stretch of train
Filled like Noah’s Ark
Evoking our expectation
As they began to disembark
© August 22, 2015, Robbie Pruitt
Candy says
Trainer
Gray and wrinkled my
best friend waits patiently
each morning for my arrival
We spend the day doing routine
chores and rote tasks, sharing
lunch and secrets – all leading
to our shining hour when we don
our sparkling tiaras and step
into the spotlights
Gently my friend lowers her
majestic trunk and I step on
rising into the air to sit astride her back – wondering all the while who
has been trained
Candy says
Noble pachyderm
Adorned with sparkling jewels
Doing circus tricks