for Jean Houston and the East Coast Mystery School
Step right up to The Greatest Show!
As it is Above, so it is Below!
Circus Atlantis is who You are,
And your Largest Self's the star!
So come on in, my friends,
To where The Gifting never ends,
To the mingling of myth and history-
Three Full Rings of Mystery!
The SunRing, cirque soleil, site
Of optimism, glory, milk and light,
Where seers common dreams reveal
And social artists make them real.
The MoonRing, cirque la lune, site
Of wounded healers, masks and night-
Wings, carnevale and blood in the mouth,
Bitter herbs and wind from the south.
And to fill them, here we come on cue:
Clowncars of yentas, vegans, beaucoup
Seekers, satyrs, aliens, nuns and elves
Tumbling out to harvest selves.
And one ring to bind them in highest game,
The CenterRing, to balance and reclaim,
To draw us near and out and up and in
To where we've always lived but seldom been.
And one RingMaster, one eleganza
To orchestrate this extravaganza:
To make the proleptic parade begin,
Call archetypal elephants in,
Acclaim the space between trapezes,
Free the ropedancer who freezes,
Dance with the tiger of entelechy,
Float it all on the winedark sea,
And juggle the gods that make it fly:
Like Atlas, hold it all up high.
Like Athena, make us bring our best.
It's the Last Show here. It's going West.
But by our common coast, our inner sea,
It sinks and soars in our mystery
Like a dolphin, vaulting deeps and skies.
Like Atlantis sinking, and always on the rise.
