Fat People at the Amusement Park

They are laughing at the rest of us,
amused at being here
among bright lights and whirling things

laughing, despite their particular knowledge
of gravity, which is why they ride
the fastest and highest rides,

a release from the demands of earth
between bouts with blue cotton candy,
stuffed bears and peanuts—

we watch them bounce along the midway
with their rosy-cheeked smiles and jouncing
asses, chattering as though they'd entered

the kingdom, they step into the cars
of the tilt-a-whirl, tilting, and take off
into a scream of weightlessness.

(reprinted with thanks from Hiram Poetry Review)