Grounded
Yesterday when we were 9,
we stole a real imaginary lorry
that smelled of circus.
It had an elephant engine
with a flame-juggler sound.
It had unicycle seats
and lion-tamer windows
which we stole together
but stopped before the trapeze started.
Then we saw the shadow runners.
A tight-rope chase caught us
with one leg over the fence
and the other not.
An ankle-drag pull
and we’re chained to the big-top prison
waiting for acrobats to take us home.
Made to place our heads
into the roaring mouth of our lion angry Mum.
Our punishment, a ringmaster ear-clip
and a bedroom full of sad clown faces.
Stephen Daniels was born in Swindon, England in 1980. He is a marketing director, the editor of Amaryllis Poetry. His poetry has been published in various online magazines and websites. Find out more here www.stephenkirkdaniels.com @stephendaniels