tightrope balance, no net, lions and tigers and bears oh my waiting paitiently for you down below. they don’t care if you, specifically you, fall. it’s nothing personal to them. they just need to eat and would prefer to do it sooner rather than later. but don’t worry about them, there are plenty of people without the inner ear capacity to keep the act up for long so fresh meat is not in short supply. but don’t focus on what’s below, and try not to think about the multiple massive high voltage lights strung up haphazardly above your path that are making you sweat so bad your makeup is running into your eyes. no, i said don’t think about any of that. think only of that thicker than average rope that is directly beneath your perfectly poised feet that goes off into the distance as far as the eye can see and attaches to a pole like the one you started from, the one you waited in line to climb up. think about that rope and put one foot in front of the other and think about that pole waiting for you at the other end. think about that pole. think about getting to climb back down from here to the adoring cheers of a thousand onlookers. think of how good it will feel to make it, to be somebody. your parents will be so proud. your friends will be jealous. people will stare and point and cover their mouths and talk into each other’s ears when you walk into the club. they’ll know. it’ll be on your face. it’s something to be proud of right? you put on the tights, you climbed the pole, you focused, and you walked the straight and very high up narrow. or rather, you are risking it now. and if, and that’s a pretty big “if”, you don’t fall and get turned into lion shit, you can then keep your mouth shut cuz nobody likes a bragger.
