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 in Dallas, Texas. He was once chosen for the John Ashbery Home School Residency. His poems feature in Richard Bailey’s movie “One of the Rough” distributed by AVIFF Cannes. Cathexis Northwest Press, Blue Mountain Review, Wild Roof Journal, Chiron Review, As It Ought To Be Magazine, Henniker Review, Gasconade Review, and Thimble Literary Magazine have published his work, as well as many other places. He received his MFA from VCFA in 2024.