George and Gerrick
the Lion King Twins
hailed from generations
of Lion Tamers
circus sawdust swirling
in their blood and brains
As babies Mum used
to leave them in the monkey cage
while she cracked the whip
to the roars and bared sabre teeth
of Leonidas and his pride
Twinky the tight rope no net
ballet act had set her sights on Gerrick
but sadly only succeeded in captivating George
instead
Gerrick was a sensation in his youth
driving the crowds wild with his bravado
Lately things had started to go wrong like the
dropping of a chair or tangle of the whip
Leonidas had been patiently waiting for years
Exhilarated by jangled nerves and smell of fear
He pounces...the crowd screams
George armed with rifle staring dreamily
at Twinky doing her tippy toe turns
fires a fraction too late and
MISSES
Something vaguely familiar about this, Rall!! And who are you saying has sawdust for brains?!
ReplyDeleteNever you Derrick!
ReplyDeleteWicked! Glad your poem made it in the end. I feel such an idiot that I hadn't realised I was Spam!
ReplyDeleteViV
When I do an interview with you Vivienne that is one of the questions I will be asking.
ReplyDeleteAnd Vivienne,how do you feel about your classification as spam?
You go Leonidas! Loved this.
ReplyDeleteFabulous, Rallentana! The pace and timing are perfect, the story delightfully told. Love how the lion has been biding his time, knowing the future held his chance...
ReplyDeleteThanks Paul, Alas poor Gerrick didn't fare so well . Twinky,heartbroken in the end had to make do with George.
ReplyDelete"We all start out as spam. It's part of evolution."
ReplyDeleteI love your novel twists. Fun way to take the stories and poems of the community further & further.
Thanks for joining the Big Tent!!
Love this Rall and I just read Derrick's and I love how this moves with his poem. Great take on the prompt.
ReplyDeletePamela
Thanks Deb and Pam.Derrick is such a good
ReplyDeletesport. He is essential to my poetry creativity.
Of course he does require a small stipend for allowing me to do this for which I am only too willing to provide.
Poor Gerrick doesn't end very well in your telling. Cherchez la femme (and the lion too)!
ReplyDeleteOh, fabulous -- what a wonderful story!
ReplyDeletethese two lines are fantastic:
ReplyDeleteLately things had started to go wrong like the
dropping of a chair or tangle of the whip
and i also like how their mum used to put them in the cage. great details!
thanks for joining the circus! :)
Nice twist in the ending. Enjoyed this story.
ReplyDeleteYou captivated me with this tale. I love the circus sawdust.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my poem at;
http://word-painting.blogspot.com/2010/05/whats-happening.html
Your imagination and ability to write something at the last minute amazes me! PS - glad you like my "new look". I thought maybe I had plastered my make-up on a bit thick...
ReplyDeleteIf I weren't laughing so hard, I'd leave a comment. Terrific piece.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic story and great telling. Lion tamers walk their own tightrope, nice tying the pieces together.
ReplyDeleteMarvelous circus poem here, Rall! Funny and cleverly told!
ReplyDeletechildhood in a cage with brother while observing mom at work makes for interesting conversation...making a life outside the tent seem as if one has never lived at all... i like this waiting animal and the shot that missed the best of all....
ReplyDelete