Thoughts and Things

The Carnival

Let's go down to the carnival

and see what there is to see.

Five bucks and we can visit the freak show

and stare at the poor things

and laugh

and act like we feel bad

and revel in their misery and pain.

Sounds like good fun.

So I went to the carnival

and I watched kids waste their parents' money

on rigged games

while trying to win the cheap toys.

And I watched 

as the clowns stood around, some even smoking cigarettes,

too tired of the children

to even try to be nice and happy

and I smiled when the kids would hide behind parents to get away from their painted on smiles.

But my smile turned into a grin

when I saw a few adults 

trying to nonchalantly avoid the clowns

without looking like the scared children they were.

I came to a tent

where a man stood

screaming about all the freaks inside

next to the sign advertising it

with the disclaimer that 

children weren't allowed in without an adult

and I smiled again. 

I paid my five bucks

and I went in,

ready to be entertained.

It took me time to notice it,

after I stared at the first freak for a long long time

and it simply stared back

with cold unforgiving eyes

and it seemed to mimic my sadistic smile

and I was confused 

until I realized

that I had just wasted five bucks

to go into the house of mirrors

and stare at my reflection.