Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Carol Everett Adams
This is the line that circles itself
and the circling ride that moves
forward without getting anywhere.
Dumbo’s smile says holy hell
sixteen times with every turn.
I tell my brother if he loves his thumb so much
he should marry it. Mom’s face
says This is hell. Brother cries,
says he has to go potty. Dumbo’s smile falters;
he’ll be hosed off hard again, and bleached.
A better family passes us, again.
My father towers between the sun and me.
Mom interrogates brother, How long, how long
can you hold it? The show’s about to start.
Carol Everett Adams writes poems about Disney theme parks, organized religion, UFOs, and other topics. She lives in the Midwestern United States and has a day job in the tech industry. Her poems have been published in California Quarterly, Euphony, The MacGuffin, The New York Quarterly, Owen Wister Review, Quercus Review, Soundings East, and others. You can connect with her at caroleverettadams.com.