I stood at the gate
and blew southerly kisses
from my finger tips

curtseyed to strangers
while offering ginger-snaps
on a silver tray

before I cuffed
the circus clown
then stuffed him

under a barrel
where he rotted
among ants and worms

that grew roses bent
to the south-east wind
on a platform

where I, barefoot
juggled stale cookies
for penance

# # #

The Welcome Mat by Joanna M. Weston
originally published August 9, 2010