Sad clowns and hidden sighs,
Laughter and smiles,
That are all depressing lies.
Acrobats and gymnasts,
Flipping from heights,
Dazzling the crowds,
But feel empty inside.
Lion tamers tame lions,
And make the crowd quite smitten,
But what they fail to realise,
Is that the tamer feels that no one but the lion will listen.
The muscle men show off their strength,
To ignite the crowd's flame,
You see it brings them joy,
To feel as if they're talented and not vein.
Step right up, step up right,
For the greatest show in town,
See the utter happiness,
Even though inside – there are merely frowns.
These people are told to perform,
The greatest show on earth,
Even though they are troubled souls,
And are treated without worth.
They are not actors,
They never go home,
The circus is their family,
The circus is loud – and yet they are all alone.
-Jasmine Barlas
