Family Circus- Digital Collage 6" x 4"

My father has operated a small travelling Wild West show for as long as anyone can remember. My second step-mother always said, "Your father has three children: Maggie, you, and the Show. Among us, the Show has always been the favorite, followed closely by my older sister. Maggie is the apple of my father's eye and shares his flair for showmanship. Blessed with neither her outgoing personality, nor acrobatic skills, early on I was cast in the role of side kick, L'il Buckeroo.

I passed from childhood into adolescence and then into adulthood saddled with the persona of L'il Buckeroo. My father and sister saw nothing unusual that a full grown man standing over six feet tall should still be called "L'il". "You're being such a baby," my sister mocked."Maggie's right," my father said, adding "Maybe next year, Little Fella." It was simply too much. "What's my name, Father?" I demanded. My father patted my head and smiled up at me. "Why, it's L'il Buckeroo," he said as if speaking to a slow-witted four year old. "Wrong," I shouted. "It is Lawrence, Father. My name is Lawrence Winnicott Wilson and I am forty-two years old." That silenced them until they turned to one another and erupted into peals of laughter."That's it!" I shouted throwing my tiny hat on the ground and marching off to call my therapist.

The next day I told them of my decision. Hereafter, if they wanted to speak with Lawrence, they could do so by looking for him in the Minneapolis Yellow Pages under the heading, Booking Agents.