The Circus Clown

The circus clown turns his pedestal
Into a royal throne
wraps his words in fear and anger
tells us what we’ve always known
while the ringmaster takes the sideline
and steps down from the stage
he knows his days are numbered
when cheers turn into rage
The acrobat juggles quotes
one liners and some notes
The clown blends them all together
And shoves it down our throats

Out of these bread and circuses
and out of the magician’s sleeve
appear some hocus pocuses
That everyone believes
The bearded lady shaves off
her moustache and her beard
she stares into the mirror
and now thinks that she looks weird
the acrobat’s no longer high wired
but the lion tamer is
black is white and wrong is right
isn’t that what the clown says? Is that what the clown says?

Under a spell, the crowd cheers and yells
for the curse of the clownish priest
Caged in his words, tricked by the herds
They turn into well-trained beasts
Up on the tightrope the lion tamer
stares down at them ashamed
here’s an animal he can’t control
one that just can’t be tamed
the tightrope walker’s out of balance
the ringmaster out of words
in the circus ring the stage turns in
to a theater of the absurd

The ringmaster’s under the exit sign
He knows there’s life beyond a stage
He takes off his hat, bows one more time
And turns another page
The once bearded but now bald lady
Takes him by the hand
She says let’s head off and find an audience
One that understands
Clowns are not supposed to trick you
And magic’s just make believe
She takes off her costume
Now all she wears is her heart upon her sleeve

There’s a new act in the circus ring
But tricks is what he lacks
Non-believers he condemns
New leaders he backs
Hung by his knees on another trapeze
Some god tries to shine a light
But all he catches is a glimpse
Of the light that dims and
a crowd that just turns blind
Those blessed ones who do not think
Do not question, do not know
accept a clown who gives them words
And shoves that down their throats