BIG TOP / Pinito Del Oro
Pinito Del Oro
About the Art
This is a photographic collage that has been manipulated in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. It portrays the great 1950's, 1960's circus performer Pinito Del Oro.
About the Poem
The poem Big Top portrays a young couple watching a circus. They are amazed with the pageantry of the opening parade; then smitten by the aerial artistry and glamour of Pinito Del Ora, the star of the show.
Big Top
As the Sousa band blows out a screamer
we sit in the grandstand craning our necks.
The spec broads, tiaraed like Popes,
all dance in formation.
Stripped of their blue dungarees, the yardmen
wear white Turkish trousers, fezzes
and turbans like Sultans.
Each guides a camel or zebra,
some tasseled and bridled with bells
some saddled with monkeys
who are tipping small hats.
The rows of trombones are in sway as they slide,
hot trumpets rock as they wail.
Caparisoned elephants, scrubbed down to pink,
are bold and majestic as they walk trunk to tail.
Their howdahs are spires of umbrellas
and ostrich plumb fans, hold Rajahs and Princes
who bow to the crowd with mysterious splendor.
I reach out and point to the chandelier light,
where Pinito del Oro is sequined in sparks
and the flashing of cameras.
As she flies at the top of the tent
you lean in to tell me,
she tiptoes on moonbeams
as the rest of the world is spinning
around her.
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I've not mentioned it before, but your art work is always an excellent part of your poetic creations. They add value to the story unfolding through your words. Another quality piece, enjoyed.
Thanks @naquoya, I have a lot of fun doing them.
I can hear those trumpets playing. Smell the fresh sugared popcorn, and sawdust. Your words create such wonderful atmospheres.
Thanks @opheliafu, when I was young I remember the circus setting up there tents in a field, then going to the show. I stood by the entrance with my friends as the elephants stormed past in a line. It was hard to forget.
I saw a wonderful circus in Paris many years ago. No animals, lots of acrobats and amazing costumes.
Ya, I was thinking as I posted this one that it probably isn't too PC with the elephants. Most circus's have eliminated them and other animals from their shows.
But this is looking back to a different time, yes?
Yes, Pinito Del Oro was in the 1950's. There are some interesting stories on line about her.