We came to the circus grounds by small train, not a toy in the forest, but the fog swaddled everything. Between galena tinctured arms of trees branching to smaller fingerlings and capillaries of damp brown hair on the steam engine swam. And Adam and I immersed in it on the front most wooden bench holding hands. And I whispered this is where the royals of divergent evolution reside. God has many plans and we are two of them. Better to see the fault in others and the beauty in ourselves. Deformity is where and how the magic enters in. for Adam Rainer, the only recorded adult little person and adult giant in history.
Recently, the Nation published "How-To" by Anders Carlson-Wee, which sparked controversy over appropriation and abelist language. We accepted "Fair Day" before "How-to" was published. This poem also discusses deformity. The speaker, Adam's mother, is worried about her son and brings him to see the circus. Her reflections come from a place of empathy and love, and she is trying to convince herself that "deformity is where and how the magic enters in." The speaker is separate from the poet.
Fair Day, or to the river with my Little Fish
Paul Koniecki lives and writes poetry in Dallas, Texas. His poems appear in the movie One of the Rough, he was a featured poet at the Blackwater International Poetry Festival in Ireland, and he co-facilitates the literary-revolution series Meet Me With Curiosity. His poetry is available through Kleft Jaw Press, NightBallet Press, CWP Collective Press, and Spartan Press.