Circus Clown
Suddenly from somewhere
A street urchin-
An untamed bird of the wider sky
Dropped down
Into the circus tent
Before him was unfurled
Scenes eerie….awesome! !
Roaring lions and tigers,
Gibbering baboons, caravans of camels,
Animal tamers and acrobats,
Artists balancing on poles
Swinging from bars to trapeziums
Pliant girls with plastic limbs
And pouting breasts,
Walking on tight ropes
A queer world
Peopled with beasts and men!
His face, painted white and red
In motley dress, he was arrayed
And a tall tapering cap, placed
On his forcibly tonsured head
He hardly knew what it all meant.
He heard the bells ringing
And it was time for the show
He was told
He would henceforth be a clown
And should make people laugh
A thousand sunsets passed him by
He forgot the familiar alleys of the streets
Lost sight of the endless pathways of the sky
In a world -
So populous- so empty,
He buried him
In the hidden caverns of himself
Nursing a hundred bruises
Inflicted by Time's sharp razors
Often he was reminded-
"You should make others laugh"
He did make people laugh
While a fountain of tears lay frozen
In the slivers of his broken heart! !
poem by Valsa George
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Dancing Girls
Its all become a fantasy
She sits and reads about tiffanys
I moan all day about the state of the world
And the sun beats down
Her book if full of pastel shades
Filigree femmes in lusts of jade
While all around the bullets flew
And the sun beats down
Oh heavy heart, as deep as the endless sea
A thought for every fish, why dont you let them be
Your books so frivol, but Im tired of mine
Show me some
Make me laugh and make me sing
Dancing girls
Make me laugh and make me sing
Dancing girls
So many years but nothings changed
We curse the fire but we still feed its flames
My cards repeating the same sad song
Why dont you put them down?
Tonight is young, as young as she needs to be
Theres room for love, as much as there needs to be
Show me a drink, show me a smile
Show me some
Make me laugh and make me sing
Dancing girls
Make me laugh and make me sing
Dancing girls
song performed by by Chris Rea
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Cassandra
I heard one who said: "Verily,
What word have I for children here?
Your Dollar is your only Word,
The wrath of it your only fear.
"You build it altars tall enough
To make you see but you are blind;
You cannot leave it long enough
To look before you or behind.
"When Reason beckons you to pause,
You laugh and say that you know best;
But what it is you know, you keep
As dark as ingots in a chest.
"You laugh and answer, 'We are young;
Oh, leave us now, and let us grow:'
Not asking how much more of this
Will Time endure or Fate bestow.
"Because a few complacent years
Have made your peril of your pride,
Think you that you are to go on
Forever pampered and untried?
"What lost eclipse of history,
What bivouac of the marching stars,
Has given the sign for you to see
Milleniums and last great wars?
"What unrecorded overthrow
Of all the world has ever known,
Or ever been, has made itself
So plain to you, and you alone?
"Your Dollar, Dove, and Eagle make
A Trinity that even you
Rate higher than you rate yourselves;
It pays, it flatters, and it's new.
"And though your very flesh and blood
Be what the Eagle eats and drinks,
You'll praise him for the best of birds,
Not knowing what the eagle thinks.
"The power is yours, but not the sight;
You see not upon what you tread;
You have the ages for your guide,
But not the wisdom to be led.
"Think you to tread forever down
The merciless old verities?
And are you never to have eyes
To see the world for what it is?
"Are you to pay for what you have
With all you are?"--No other word
We caught, but with a laughing crowd
Moved on. None heeded, and few heard.
poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
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Laugh Clown Laugh
Laugh Clown laugh,
that's what they want me to do.
I guess I'm doing something right
because this Clown made you laugh too.
Laugh Clown laugh,
make everyone laugh real hard.
Besides, Who would it hurt?
Will anyone notice
how it has scarred?
Laugh Clown laugh,
but only for a while,
at least until you see
that the humor is in your denial.
poem by Cecelia Warner
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Twisted
My analyst told me
That I was right out of my head
The way he described it
He said Id be better dead than live
I didnt listen to his jive
I knew all along
That he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought
I was crazy but Im not
Oh no
My analyst told me
That I was right out of my head
He said Id need treatment
But Im not that easily led
He said I was the type
That was most inclined
When out of his sight
To be out of my mind
And he thought I was nuts
No more ifs or ands or buts
They say as a child
I appeared a little bit wild
With all my crazy ideas
But I knew what was happening
I knew I was a genius...
Whats so strange when you know
That youre a wizard at three
I knew that this was meant to be
Now I heard little children
Were supposed to sleep tight
Thats why I got into the vodka one night
My parents got frantic
Didnt know what to do
But I saw some crazy scenes
Before I came to
Now do you think I was crazy
I may have been only three
But I was swinging
They all laugh at angry young men
They all laugh at edison
And also at einstein
So why should I feel sorry
If they just couldnt understand
The idiomatic logic
That went on in my head
I had a brain
It was insane
Oh they used to laugh at me
When I refused to ride
On all those double decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top
My analyst told me
That I was right out of my head
But I said dear doctor
I think that its you instead
Because I have got a thing
Thats unique and new
To prove it Ill have
The last laugh on you
cause instead of one head
I got two
And you know two heads are better than one.
song performed by by Joni Mitchell
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Future
"Let's make him a sailor," said Father,
"And he will adventure the sea."
"A soldier," said Mother, "is rather
What I would prefer him to be."
"A lawyer," said Father, "would please me,
For then he could draw up my will."
"A doctor," said Mother, "would ease me;
Maybe he could give me a pill."
Said Father: "Lt's make him a curate,
A Bishop in gaiters to be."
Said Mother: "I couldn't endure it
To have Willie preaching to me."
Said Father: ""Let him be a poet;
So often he's gathering wool."
Said Mother with temper: "Oh stow it!
You know it, a poet's a fool."
Said Farther: "Your son is a duffer,
A stupid and mischievous elf."
Said Mother, who's rather a huffer:
"That's right - he takes after yourself."
Controlling parental emotion
They turned to me, seeking a cue,
And sudden conceived the bright notion
To ask what I wanted to do.
Said I: "my ambition is modest:
A clown in a circus I'd be,
And turn somersaults in the sawdust
With audience laughing at me."
. . . Poor parents! they're dead and decaying,
But I am a clown as you see;
And though in no circus I'm playing,
How people are laughing at me!
poem by Robert William Service
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Arcturus
"Arcturus" is his other name—
I'd rather call him "Star."
It's very mean of Science
To go and interfere!
I slew a worm the other day—
A "Savant" passing by
Murmured "Resurgam"—"Centipede"!
&q uot;Oh Lord—how frail are we"!
I pull a flower from the woods—
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath—
And has her in a "class"!
Whereas I took the Butterfly
Aforetime in my hat—
He sits erect in "Cabinets"—
The Clover bells forgot.
What once was "Heaven"
Is "Zenith" now—
Where I proposed to go
When Time's brief masquerade was done
Is mapped and charted too.
What if the poles should frisk about
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for "the worst"—
Whatever prank betides!
Perhaps the "Kingdom of Heaven's" changed—
I hope the "Children" there Won't be "new fashioned" when I come—
And laugh at me—and stare—
I hope the Father in the skies
Will lift his little girl—
Old fashioned—naught—everything—
Over the stile of "Pearl."
poem by Emily Dickinson
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Pink Thing
Anytime you rise, Im here,
And Im crazy for you pink thing.
You make me want to laugh,
You make me want to cry,
When I stroke your head I feel a hundred heartbeats high,
Pink thing.
I want to take you out and show you round the world,
Pink thing itll be ok.
If I could only wake you from your slumber curled,
Pink thing what would straight folks say?
That man isnt fit to enter heaven.
That man is a sinner,
Ever burning in disgrace.
Pink thing, spit in my face,
Id love you for it.
Anytime you call, Ill fall,
Into madness for you pink thing.
You make me want to live.
You make me want to die.
And when I stroke your head I feel a hundred heartbeats high,
Pink thing.
I want to take you out and show you to the girls,
Pink thing theyre a whole new tribe.
If you could only see the way the way the gingham swirls,
Pink thing its a whole new vibe.
That man isnt fit to be a father.
That man is a sinner,
fore they cast me down to die,
Pink thing, spit in my eye,
Id love you for it.
Yes, Id love you for it.
Anytime you rise, Im here,
And Im crazy for you pink thing.
You make me want to laugh,
You make me want to cry,
When I stroke your head I feel a hundred heartbeats high,
Pink thing.
Hundred heartbeats high,
Pink thing.
Hundred heartbeats high.
I want to introduce you,
Take you to the brink thing.
I want to introduce you,
Tell me what you think thing. I want to introduce you,
Make that missing link thing.
Dont you think its time you met some female pink thing?
You make me want to laugh,
You make me want to cry,
So why is it Im happy when theres tears down in your eye?
Little pink thing.
song performed by by Xtc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sometimes There's Three
There’s two sides to every story
And sometimes there’s three
You can take a trip around the world
To simply cross the street
I know, ‘cause that's what happened to me
Laugh, laugh
Even the jester has to laugh
When everything turns upside down
It sometimes helps to laugh
There's two paths on every journey
And sometimes there's three
You can meet your fate on the same road
You took to avoid it
I know, 'cause that's what happened to me
Laugh, laugh
Even the jester has to laugh
When everything turns upside down
It sometimes helps to laugh
And at the crossroads, don't turn and look away
Let it kiss you on the face
And then have a laugh
There’s two women in your life
And sometimes there’s three
You can make a wish upon a star
Only to find it land in your street
I know, ‘cause that's what happened to me
Laugh, laugh
Even the jester has to laugh
When everything turns upside down
It sometimes helps to laugh
There’s two people fighting for your mind
And sometimes there’s three
Each mask you wear at different times
Till one fits comfortably
I know, ‘cause that's what happened to me
Laugh, laugh
Even the jester has to laugh
When everything turns upside down
It sometimes helps to laugh
And at the crossroads, don' turn and look away
Let it kiss you on the face
And then have a laugh
Copyright Colin Coplin 2010
poem by Colin Coplin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Undercover Of The Night
Hear the screams of Center 42
Loud enough to bust your brains out
The opposition's tongue is cut in two
Keep off the street 'cause you're in danger
One hundred thousand disparus
Lost in the jails in South America
Cuddle up baby
Cuddle up tight
Cuddle up baby
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover of the night
The sex police are out there on the streets
Make sure the pass laws are not broken
The race militia has got itchy fingers
All the way from New York back to Africa
Cuddle up baby
Keep it all out of sight
Cuddle up baby
Sleep with all out of sight
Cuddle up baby
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover
Undercover
Undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover of the night
All the young men they've been rounded up
And sent to camps back in the jungle
And people whisper people double-talk
And once proud fathers act so humble
All the young girls they have got the blues
They're heading on back to Center 42
Keep it undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Keep it undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover
Keep it all out of sight
Undercover of the night
Down in the bars the girls are painted blue
Done up in lace
song performed by by Rolling Stones from Under Cover
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Only Wanna Laugh
(william jacob / shannon shor)
Change the mood Im in
For a little while
Let me see that grin
Let me see you smile
No soulful tales that fret and frown
No woeful wails that get me down
No rights or wrongs
Sing no sad songs for me
I only wanna laugh
No time for crying
I only wanna laugh
No time for tears
I only wanna sing
A song thats happy
Thats why I only wanna walk a street thats sunny
I only wanna see the side thats funny
Im saving all of my tears until tomorrow
cause crying all my tears
Just aint my style
Im acting like a clown
But let me be
cause even though I know
The jokes on me
I only wanna laugh
Only wanna laugh
Only wanna laugh
Im saving all of my tears until tomorrow
cause crying all my tears
Baby, just aint my style
Im acting like a clown
But let me be
cause even though the jokes on me, oh
Tell the girls goodbye
cause I dont wanna cry
Hey
I only wanna laugh
Only wanna laugh
Only wanna laugh
song performed by by Dusty Springfield
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Circus Song
Cotton candy, two for a quarter
See if the fat man can guess your weight
A big stuffed tiger is what I bought her
And I'm going home 'cause it's late
Roller coasters make me dizzy
And cotton candy makes me sick
I wish I had some Bromo fizzy
Now that would do the trick
Everyone knows that the clowns aren't happy
And everyone knows that the people don't care
I wish I could laugh at the way that they're acting
But I'm so sick, I just don't dare to
High wire dancers kick and balance
White silk horses step in time
The tattooed man displays his talents
I'm not the talented kind
I always go to the circus on Sunday
And there I can laugh at the people I see
But when I leave home in the morning on Monday
Everybody laughs at me
I make other people nervous
I guess that's why they laugh at me
But to me my life is a three-ring circus
And I can see it for free
Have you seen my wife Elvira?
She can tame a lion, you know
Well, I once had a bushy mane
But that was so damn long ago
Tight-collared clowns in plastic buildings
Have happy families as their fate
Happy jobs and happy clubs
And happy people they hate
Everyone's juggling and everyone's acting
With smiles of grease paint three feet wide
Everyone's caught on a carousel pony
And one time around is a lifetime ride
song performed by by Don McLean
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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At Lulworth Cove a Century Back
Had I but lived a hundred years ago
I might have gone, as I have gone this year,
By Warmwell Cross on to a Cove I know,
And Time have placed his finger on me there:
"You see that man?" -- I might have looked, and said,
"O yes: I see him. One that boat has brought
Which dropped down Channel round Saint Alban's Head.
So commonplace a youth calls not my thought."
"You see that man?" -- "Why yes; I told you; yes:
Of an idling town-sort; thin; hair brown in hue;
And as the evening light scants less and less
He looks up at a star, as many do."
"You see that man?" -- "Nay, leave me!" then I plead,
"I have fifteen miles to vamp across the lea,
And it grows dark, and I am weary-kneed:
I have said the third time; yes, that man I see!"
"Good. That man goes to Rome -- to death, despair;
And no one notes him now but you and I:
A hundred years, and the world will follow him there,
And bend with reverence where his ashes lie."
poem by Thomas Hardy
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How Deep Is Your Love?
Superficial, or sacrificial?
Secular, or the supernatural?
How deep is your love?
Would you give up quality of life?
Or give up life itself?
To what do we let go?
To what do we hold on?
People or objects?
How far do we go,
Before we move on?
To our breaking point,
Or until we have proven it.
Hold on to resentment,
Let go of another.
Prove our point, or to prove love.
Beauty is only skin deep.
But beautiful is at the core.
The spirit lives forever.
It endures all.
Our essence, our core, is love itself.
Given by God, as He lives inside of us.
He is buried deep,
Surrounded by lies.
Lies we have bought in a cold cruel world.
A world of shallow love.
Love of self, at the cost of another.
She walked away,
He waited.
She asked, "Why when you had me you did not want me, "
"But now I am gone, and you will fight? "
"You have changed, but it is too late."
"For I have found another."
The man replied, "The answer is simple."
"Why is it, you have me now and do not want me? "
"I have proven the truth of my love."
"I have endured a thousand deaths."
"I have risen each time."
"To become love itself."
"Not for me, but for you."
"Affection is shown, but love is assumed."
"To the superficial, love is all show."
"To the sacrificial, love is the show."
"I can tell you I love you,
"But the words have no substance."
"They disappear in thin air."
"Love is patient."
"Love as a feeling, will come and go."
"Feelings are impatient."
"It is truth that never changes."
"And love, that is true, will endure all."
"As it has since the beginning of time."
"Not as defined by society."
"But as defined by the creator and sustainer."
"It is only once the feelings have broken the heart, the holder of the feelings."
"That the beholder is freed."
"To show the love that will never be broken."
"Love that is true."
poem by Ryan Lee Morris
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Cloony The Clown
I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, 'Go back to bed!'
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, 'I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown.'
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With 'Hah-Hah-Hahs' and 'Hee-Hee-Hees.'
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,'THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT.'
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
poem by Sheldon Allan Silverstein
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I, She And Silence
First, first...
Over phone...
"Hello"... "Hello"
For hours… sweet talk…
Many a laugh…
3 years later...
Face to face
"Hi"... "Hi"
Two shy smiles…
Silence...
Two cups of coffee...
Silence...
While parting two broad grins...
Silence…
She turned aside …bit her lips
I sighed…scratched head
Silence…silence…silence…
2 days later........
Over phone...
"Hello"..."Hello"
for hours …sweet talk…
Many a laugh
poem by Sathya Narayana
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The ABC
'Twas midnight in the schoolroom
And every desk was shut
When suddenly from the alphabet
Was heard a loud "Tut-Tut!"
Said A to B, "I don't like C;
His manners are a lack.
For all I ever see of C
Is a semi-circular back!"
"I disagree," said D to B,
"I've never found C so.
From where I stand he seems to be
An uncompleted O."
C was vexed, "I'm much perplexed,
You criticise my shape.
I'm made like that, to help spell Cat
And Cow and Cool and Cape."
"He's right" said E; said F, "Whoopee!"
Said G, "'Ip, 'Ip, 'ooray!"
"You're dropping me," roared H to G.
"Don't do it please I pray."
"Out of my way," LL said to K.
"I'll make poor I look ILL."
To stop this stunt J stood in front,
And presto! ILL was JILL.
"U know," said V, "that W
Is twice the age of me.
For as a Roman V is five
I'm half as young as he."
X and Y yawned sleepily,
"Look at the time!" they said.
"Let's all get off to beddy byes."
They did, then "Z-z-z."
poem by Spike Milligan
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Clown
(clarke / hicks / nash)
I see a clown painting his face once more
Before the show has started
He paints a smile on his face with his makeup now
Although hes broken hearted
But the rule of the clown is simple
And the show must go on as always
People are there to laugh at him
And he mustnt let them down
Hes lost someone dear to him
And hes crying now although he doesnt show it
He gives the show of his life though hes breaking down
Although youd never know it
But theres something different about his smile
An unfamiliar frown
Yes theres something different about him now
Hes painted his smile on upside down
song performed by by Hollies
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Why is it that we will laugh at a man in a clown outfit, but we won't laugh at a man just walking down the street carrying a clown outfit in one of those plastic dry-cleaner bags
Jack Handey in Deep Thoughts
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Don't You Pay Them No Mind
People laugh each time they see us walking by and their whispering just make
you feel like you wanna cry. Keep on walking by my side don't look behind. You
know I love you, so don't you pay em' no mind.
People say our love ain't gonna last too long. And they point at us, just like
we've been only carry on, keep on looking in my eyes and we'll be fine. You see
I love you, so don't you pay em' no mind.
Stay with me and let em' see, let em' know that you love me, that u love me, if
it's true who cares what they do? Cause I don't need anyone but you. Just you
and me, we're gonna make it all alone. Let them laugh at us, we're gonna build
a world all our own, Keep on then, keep on holdin on to me,they'll learn in
time. I really love you, so don't you pay em' no mind. You know I love you, you
know I can't be without you
song performed by by Nina Simone
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Clown
To friends I may seem like a clown.
Yet every clown wears a mask
with a smile upside down hidden there.
A big teardropp painted on his cheek
hides the real ones there.
Clowns make people laugh
only to hide their own misery and despair.
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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