Shock and awe

If you know my son well enough, you know he's a bit of a ham. A karaoke kid. Talkative, emotive, a born-again vaudevillian, truth be told.
So you'd think that bringing him to see clowns and trapeze artists and acrobats and an elephant would stir up some craziness?
No. Instead, I get shock and awe at the circus.

My son sat silent, his eyes intensely trying to catch every single moment of the live performance, his mouth agape.
There was very little conversation, as his attention was rapt during most of the show. The reaction was the same for the acrobats, the trapeze artists, the reptile show, the motorcycle daredevils, the elephant. (Yes, there was only one. We had the downsized version - only one ring of the three-ring gig).
He laughed a bit at one of the last clown routines and he pointed at the gigantic snake they pulled out of a box.
But most of the time, my son was completely absorbed in the experience.