At the age of fifty-five I decided
to run away from the circus
and join a home.
I packed enough cotton candy to last
me for a week and snuck off the lot
in the middle of night.
First I went to my son's house
in Walla Walla.
His mother was the bearded lady.
But he would not let me in.
Said I abandoned him and his mother
when times got hard back in the 90's.
I guess I can't blame him.
So I went to my daughter's house
in Oshkosh.
Her mother was head kinker.
She died during the Great Milwaukee
Circus Parade of 2009.
Run over by an elephant.
She was glad to see me
and made up a comfortable
back bedroom for me,
with a view of apple trees
from my window.
She only made one condition:
I was to never go into the garage,
where her husband kept something
secret and terrible.
I said okay, sure, no problemo.
I was very happy playing with
the grandkids and eating oatmeal
at the same table every morning.
I never got bored watching the mailman
come by every day at 4 p.m.
Then my daughter's husband disappeared.
He went into the garage one day and never
came out. The police searched for him
but got no clues from the garage.
When I went into the garage there was
nothing in there but hundreds of dried
peach pits.
My daughter was so distraught
that she packed up the kids
and joined my old circus --
as a ticket taker.
She left the house to me.
I take in boarders and embroider
face masks to make ends meet.
