Family of Saltimbanques

Haunted me for years, this picture.

A gathering of clowns.

Meeting on a coastal road,

A young father in motely leads his daughter.

An old clown presides over a greater clan.

The men talk shop.

Giggs that can be had,

Dangers on the road.

While the junior members

Take a break from the day’s progress,

Let their minds wander.

A young boy, hides a small box from the girl,

Wants to get her attention.

A teenaged girl, sits,

Dreaming of some handsome prince,

Who’ll carry her away.

They are all on a crossroads.

Wandering where to go,

What to do with their lives.

They are labeled a family,

But in that, it seems,

They are all alone.

Perhaps this is truly the greater family.

The family of the unknown,

The family of the uncertain.

Hungry, tired, worn.

On a road that does not take you home.