Step Right Up (amuse)

Many days I find myself a Ringmaster
in my own 3 Ring Circus
surrounded by a bevy of Clowns-
who provide laughter and amusement
usually for their own enjoyment~
although some even try and call the shots
(until they are escorted out of the ring)
Then there are the animals...
both wild and tame-
with a thin line dividing the two-
sometimes hard to tell which is which...
It takes years of training
to make sure I am not eaten alive
and even then there is no guarantee!
Jumping through hoops
is part of my shtick-
as well as daring balancing acts
(usually without a safety net)
and juggling feats
not intended for the faint of heart
leaving me winded and breathless -
my head spinning-
as I command (or attempt to) Center Ring-
playing to a tough crowd
with 5 shows daily
185 days a year (closed on weekends and holidays)
in The Greatest Show on Earth...

MY CLASSROOM!

This week's prompt at OSI is "amuse." The idea for this poem came about because of the pictures that I took this summer up in Baraboo, Wisconsin near Circus World Museum. I was there many years ago as a kid, but seeing the buildings this summer brought back lots of nostalgia. I love the old buildings and vintage circus posters. Last weekend up in Michigan I saw the Ringling Brothers Circus train parked outside of Grand Rapids; we were driving too fast for me to get a picture :(. The whole circus atmosphere has always intrigued me- even though personally I am not a fan of the circus (go figure). I thought the circus theme fit with my life as a teacher and I am often amused at the juggling that goes on within a 45 minute period; it IS something like a 3 ring circus. Between the schedules and their constant changes, and the curriculum, the disabilities, interruptions, the behavior, the administration, the aides, the other teachers, the related services, and sometimes the parent demands- it is AMAZING and somewhat amusing anything ever gets done and progress is made...but it does!