“The Greatest Show On Earth” by Celia Meade

The Greatest Show On Earth
after Nick Flynn

I ate the seal,
we ate the buffalo,
I ate the camel without a head,
then you ate the camel’s head.

I ate the weird-looking pig
and the back half of the zebra,
then the lucid liner of the box
was empty, and there were no crackers left.

There’s no appetite anymore either
for the crack of whip and chair —
the canvas big top folded,
the circus train stands still.

When Mantecore the white tiger
bit Roy, blood spilled across the stage,
but, miraculously,
they both survived the show.

Meanwhile, in a puff of smoke,
the wild world vanishes
in all its astounding magic,
the greatest show on Earth.

Celia Meade

Celia Meade graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Spring of ‘23 with an MFA in Creative Writing, after studying under Marie Howe, Jo Ann Beard, and Afaa Michael Weaver. She was awarded second place in the 2022 Raven Chapbook competition for the poetry collection, The Ones You Love. Her first collection of poetry, Anatomy of the World, has been recently published by Wipf and Stock in February 2024. She enjoys oil painting, traveling, and dogs.

Headshot: Billy Woods

Photo Credit: Staff