i.
sometimes i like to gaze
up at the vastness of the sky,
and imagine.

ii.
a celestial circus
dances in the stratosphere:
the ringmaster beams
in the center ring,
his bright golden top hat
shining with every ray of the sun.
sparrows and crows allemande
in rings of cirrus;
the wind whispers
a waltz, rustling along
leafy, crooked branches
and lonely feathers
spinning dandelion seeds are ballerinas
held in their lofty arabesque,
and swallows are the acrobats
that swing and swoop
through the carousel of clouds.
bird song fills every cerulean tent,
gallant, gay grace filling
the circus by day.

iii.
suddenly
the ringmaster throws on his cape;
and an angry storm deafens the audience,
beating the sky
to bruised purples and blacks.
his lions roar behind him,
shaking the stage
in rumbles of thunder
they flash their bright bared teeth,
gleaming ferociously like the lightning,
challenging the circus
in a vehement display.
the ringmaster's deft hands
strike out,
shushing the beasts with
the bitter black cloak.
the lions submit, cowering
behind the backs of bloated clouds
their tears rushing down
to the earth in a rain of defeat.
as the ringmaster stalks away,
he lifts his dark cape,
allowing the storm to roll away
and the sky to embrace
its next act.

iv.
slowly
the circus tents fade,
settling into brilliant vermilions,
then deep indigos,
then finally
the darkest of blacks,
a smooth celestial obsidian
of infinite reach.
the ringmaster smiles slyly,
spins,
and a gown of exquisite silver
gleams and glows in the center ring,
a ghostly moon
hanging in her throne of night.
soon, the tents come alive
as the performers hang
a million little lanterns
that twinkle and sparkle and shine
with the light of starry wanderlust.
owls and crickets and wolves
hoot and chirp and howl
their quiet nocturne,
a beautiful ballad
of night.
the audience is lulled to sleep,
and the ringmaster
glides silently in her sky,
peacefully basking in the lit-up dark
of the night circus.

v.
when i look down,
i smile,
eudemonia filling my very soul
after my visit
to the sky.