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She wore a t-shirt with that slogan.
Most people passed her by and said nothing.
But one day someone asked her
what her trick was. Her eyes sparkled
as she pictured all the circus acts she’d seen.
She knew she could throw axes,
yet her tendency for distraction might be fatal.
Wearing lycra to be fired out of a cannon
wouldn’t suit,
and her timing ruled her out
of the flying trapeze.
She wondered if she could tame a lion,
juggle five knives.
I eat fire whilst riding a unicycle, she replied.
She remembers vividly
the disappointment in their eyes
when they leant in for detail,
and she had to admit it wasn’t true.
I wear baggy trousers,
I’m a plate-spinning clown,
she thought to herself as her heart sank,
and I’ve been walking a tightrope all my life.
Sue Finch 