The speaker, one of several children, remembers the excitement of a Friday when the circus came to town and their mother let them all go out to watch the parade pass. Every detail comes through a child’s eyes: decorated wagons with doors shut tight, hiding who-knows-what; a monkey riding a dog; a man on a cart clapping and talking to the crowd; an elephant taking such big steps that it made them laugh. Three beautiful ladies in golden dresses and carrying golden whips look like queens of Sheba to the speaker. Even the caged “wild man” with snakes over his feet is stranger than scary, especially because someone says he eats them alive but the child never sees it happen. The mood is bright, curious, and full of wonder, mixing real observation with playful guessing, and it makes a simple parade feel enormous.
The Circus — Summary
Friday came and the circus was there, And Mother said that the twins and I And Charles and Clarence and all of us Could go out and see the parade go by.
And there were wagons with pictures on, And you never could guess what they had inside, Nobody could guess, for the doors were shut, And there was a dog that a monkey could ride.
A man on the top of a sort of cart Was clapping his hands and making a talk. And the elephant came--he can step pretty far-- It made us laugh to see him walk.
Three beautiful ladies came riding by, And each one had on a golden dress, And each one had a golden whip. They were queens of Sheba, I guess.
A big wild man was in a cage, And he had some snakes going over his feet. And somebody said "He eats them alive!" But I didn't see him eat.