Fair Day, or to the river with my Little Fish

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.
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