the show must go onthe masked dancers
bold and brilliant
dress themselves in reds and golds
to distract from the scars that litter their bodiesmy mother
attempts to face the lion
forcing another innocent animal into the fire
to endure the screaming pain and crack of the whip
all in the name of of entertainmentthe trapezeists
fly above the crowd in grandiose, sweeping motions
tense with the fear of failure
burned with the knowledge they will never be as free
as the birds they emulatei dance on a tightrope
the screaming of the cheering crowds
makes me wonder if they know the stakes
what they would do if i fellthe circus
bold and bright
entertaining and dangerous
is slowly killing us
it's own performers treated like puppets on a string
striped of our humanity
robbed of our decencyat night the cries of my companions
form a silent symphony
but the show must go on
they demand to be entertained
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ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛʀᴀɢᴇᴅɪᴇꜱ
Poetry𝙞 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘥 #1 in #orginalpoetry as of 6/27/24