Clown

He was never really
happy
when the circus came to town
he wore his badge of courage
his white perpetual frown

his papier mache features
gave him a scary look
behind the mask to those who ask
he just lived by the book

with all those travelling people
he never got along
a nomad he had never been
with them he just felt wrong

he had met an Indian women
on a dusty bus in Delhi
and she had shown him happiness
but left him when his love
was rampant
disease had spread into her and her life
left her and it left him too, he loved her
he’d worshipped her and so as to survive
he returned to England feeling desolate
and joined a troupe of clowns performing live

in circus, schools and hospitals
entertaining those
children who apparently
liked his red ball nose
behind his mask
his eyes were full of tears
he missed her so
she comforted him and to lose her left him
with such woe
the clowns he knew most of them were hiding
far from free
escaping to a world of pain far from reality