Circus Clown Poem by Valsa George
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! !
There is a common theme in poems and song about sad clowns and despondency. However, the language used and it's vibrant depiction of such a life in situ in India is quite telling, although I wonder if it is also true universally for traditional circuses as they wander the country with low pay and skills that rarely transfer beyond that world making it a sentence more than a vocation.
The tale arouses a mixed feeling of empathy and endurance. The stage of the world has up its heels bitter episodes to tell about as the saga of life is an unfurled knotty cluster of woes terrifying and joys drifting..
A common theme of life in society is the need to sacrifice freedom in order to earn a living, regrettably for some, this is at the expense of happiness and personal fulfillment.
This is the story of a clown(joker) of a circus.He has to love hiding his tear. Mera Naam Joker is such a film which focused light on this side. Very nice poem, Ma'am.
In a circus party the role of a clown is important. He makes every one laugh but how pain he takes is unknown to all. More over Life in a circus tent in India is very miserable. Taking this essence this poem is so incisively delineated. Here it may be cited...So populous- so empty, / He buried him / In the hidden caverns of himself / Nursing a hundred bruises... Inflicted by Time's sharp razors A brilliant work.10
Tremendous verse, Valsa. I was, after reading it, immediately reminded of the great Italian film La Strada...fire and water...Zampano and Gelsomina...How the opposite in fact is the dominant to and over what is perceived by the casual observer. This one goes to myfavourites.
The world is itself a circus and upto a certain extent we all have no alternate to forget our pains, dry our tears and smile for others. A touching poem by Valsa George.
When he smiles, world smiles When he weeps, world smiles When he weeps he weeps alone.... while making people gay and cheerful, His heart often bleeds, That we fail to notice, Behind the forced flickering smile........Valsa.... this is the life of a clown in Indian circus....very well composed with touching words and emotions.......great write as always....10/10
So sad, he cannot be happy even when he is successful at making others laugh. I like this poem a lot.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/26/2024 1:02:33 AM # 1.0.0.1119
VG, you are right! who is well paid in India, while the inflation is so high?