October 14, 2019

Carnival by Sandy Benitez

Miscreants and midgets amble 
ahead of me.  I fall behind, 
soles of my converse sneakers
sticky with bubble gum and taffy 

droppings.  A red velvet curtain
parts like a rose in bloom
and I pick up the pace so as not
to miss the bearded lady's show.

She appears in a long, black gown.
An hourglass figure reminiscent of
Marilyn Monroe. My eyes become magnets,
attracted to the surreal image

standing before me.  I imagine Dali
courting her, asking her to smile
as he paints her face among landscapes
of melting clocks and cracked eggs.

Behind me, a lizard man snaps his tongue
like a whip.  Flies swarm away.
In the distance, a werewolf howls
at the tapioca moon.  The crowd 

dissipates into fog, leaving remnants 
of footprints--some human, some animal.  
Things better left unknown.







Sandy Benitez writes poetry & fiction, sometimes dark, magical, or mysterious.  Her fondest memories of childhood are from her years in Germany, playing in the vast woods behind her home which contributed to her lifelong love of fairy tales, magical realism, and the paranormal. Sandy currently resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. 

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