THE JOKER

The stage is set and the lights are on,
Curious faces wait in anticipation
A dusty jacket waits on the empty chair of the dressing room,
In the air is a feeling of celebration

The crowd looks on to the stage, waiting
The stage is adorned in pretty lights,
The majestic carpet hugs the floor closely
It all makes for a glorious sight

He sits there lost in his own deep thoughts
a stellar performance is to be delivered
Visualizing the evening ahead in his mind
while the quandary within him quivers

He’s just had another fight with his child,
His partner has long left him in the past
His thoughts wander between now and 10 years ago,
He wonders if happiness ever does last

The time is right, the call is made and he sets off,
Everyone’s been waiting for him all night,
He’s quite the star as he enters with the widest of smiles
And the crowd cheers and thunders in delight

He starts off slow and builds up the tempo as he goes
People guffaw with plain joy on their faces
Everyone is equal here, no one is superior
Everyone has momentarily forgotten their races

He shows his prowess by adding humour to the trivialities of life
Spontaneous wit and observation are his best weapons
the conflict of thoughts in his head, meanwhile, is a constant struggle
but the crowd, abstracted and unmindful of any such occurrences, laughs on

He delivers his final act and wishes the crowd well on their way
The crowd stands up to give him a bidding farewell,
He smiles in return, it is a smile of satisfaction
The world sees what it wishes to see in you, he thinks

Let the demeanor not take away the truth,
He smiles wide but that’s only to hide the pain,
It may be sunny for the whole world,
But in his deep dark world, it rains.

His tragedy is the source of all his humour,
A joker he is, he has to perform,
To the world it does not matter what he goes through
The lights shine bright, the stage is set and the show must go on.

Peace. . .