Buddha Circus

I'm spinning the Dharma wheel

which in my case

looks disarmingly like a Ferris wheel

and my Buddha seems to be

riding a tricycle

and all my animal spirits

are jumping through flaming hoops

(and not proverbial ones either)

All this makes me think

this could be a sign

that perhaps

in my next life

I will finally be able

to live out my dream

of being a circus act

in a traveling carnival.

Reviews

[Tim McGovern]

I was under the impression this was a circus, and we were all sideshow attractions.
( I think you should wear a skimpy outfit and be one of those double jointed plate spinners)

I saw " Dharma wheel" " ferris wheel" and then " tricycle" and thought of the other big " Tri" father, son, holy ghost.
You pays your money and you takes your chance.

I think in your next life you may be a lion tamer.

Namaste'
Tim

[Pax Analog]

Love the concept and execution!

Really, tho' isn't this life always a Buddha Traveling Circus act? ;-)

What I especially dig about this poem is that everything is in it, Buddha-mind, animal spirits (shamanism), and of course the traveling circus, which is virtually synonymous with the Bard's "All the world's a stage/and we are but the players" -- especially when you consider that Shakespeare's work was not initially spread by Victorian-era academics in America, but traveling theater troupes; "next door" to traveling circus, as it were.

So, by all means, be more overtly a circus act in a traveling carnival your next life, if it strikes your fancy. But on some level you're already doin' it, and doin' it well.

Great work!

[Shara Faskowitz]

Short but to the point and it works very well because of the series of incongruous images, which could be presented with much whimsey, but instead is treated rather practically. This makes the poem interesting. A poem always grabs my attention when it says what it needs to say in an unexpected way, and that's what you've accomplished here. Only these two lines (and really just the second) trouble me:

are jumping through flaming hoops
(and not proverbial ones either)

because I'm not sure what you're getting at; you leave that meaning completely open. I wonder if the poem would be better served if you clarified what those hoops are. Just a thought because all in all this is a poem that grabbed my attention and held onto it. Nice read, Tara!

[Jet Lag]

i love it! you made me smile before i saw the bottom of my empty coffee cup and that's a feat!
my favorite lines:
--my Buddha seems to be
--riding a tricycle

my only suggestions are:
i think ferris is capitalized.
i think traveling has only one "l."

good work! i'm giving you a 100 rating, but you know how this place works. that won't show up as a 100 until others chime in, so don't think i'm rating you low. :)