Sample Page from "The Trapeze Diaries"



The Aerialist caught the hoop beautifully every time, sometimes with her feet, sometimes with her arms, sometimes with her ankles, once with her head. She projected long shadows against the wall of the tent. Many times I thought she might fall and break her neck, but she didn’t. It was the first time I’d seen anything like it. From a distance, she looked perfect. She did not seem to sweat. She did not seem to breathe. Her body appeared weightless. She was so far above me she could have been God.

Later, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was so touched by the way she defied everything human in herself: unafraid of heights, flexible and strong.

That night, I dreamt shadows were dancing above me. I thought I was falling from a trapeze and I woke to my own shuddering.