All the children laughed at the clown,
But I knew someone who made everyone laugh knew more of life
,
than a joke could summarize.
And then I looked deep into the clown’s eye,
And there was a picture of such might,
Beneath all the mirth was so much pain in rewind,
People gone, people left, all the scars left,
And all they left was a joke.
And yet the clown paints his face
And that inner world gets lost in the maze.
And the children laugh.
And the pain subsides. 
I think that clowns are really very very sad.. when only paint and laughter can keep the pain away.. very apt.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
ReplyDeleteThere is sadness underneath, and that really is sad.
ReplyDeleteyou totally remind me of Charlie Chaplin's lines - My pain may be the reason for somebody's laugh.But my laugh must never be the reason for somebody's pain
ReplyDeleteIt rings so true for clowns!!
Sometimes everyone wants to be a clown, but only a true knows how to pull it off!
ReplyDeleteIndeed....well done
ReplyDeletelaughter is good medicine
ReplyDeletehave a nice Tuesday
much love...
one can never know the pains of the heart...a painted face face has 'pain' inside..great work
ReplyDeleteI like how you use "and" here, giving the sense that life rushes in this way for a clown. The poem might also work cut down to barest bones, without the makeup and costume, so to speak--though I wonder whether a true clown would ever be so exposed. Fine poem.
ReplyDeleteContrary to what one sees they are not really a happy lot. The smiles are painted over and their antics more of a slapstick rather than wit! Wonderful write Suyash!
ReplyDeleteHank
I think your description is very true of clowns.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the one that seems like a clown is the one with the most unhappiness deep inside. Great response to the prompt!
ReplyDeleteLaughter does help the pain subside. I find that people who have endured the deepest pain are likely to laugh the most often and the loudest.
ReplyDeletei have a love/fear of clowns. So much is hidden behind a painted smile.
ReplyDeleteRobin Williams...
ReplyDeleteI remember crying after hearing the news and spending the entire day revisiting his old movies, interviews, stand-up acts. It is heart-breaking to know how pain can be so well-hid. And people so easily deceived.
Beautifully penned.
Such a compassionate poem… beautiful.
ReplyDeletethat's funny thoughts here.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful interpretation of the picture prompt!
ReplyDeletewell done
Cheers
Beautiful interpretation of the picture prompt!
ReplyDeletewell done
Cheers
This one touches the heart.
ReplyDeletepowerful.
ReplyDeleteawesome.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a true story for many people. We can't get past the fact that there is pain in life but the power of a good laugh is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love clowns, particularly the sad ones. Somehow they have extra pathos because of being clowns.
ReplyDeletesometimes the pain hides well behind the mask.
ReplyDeletewell written!
It seems this speaker and I are one of the last few people who live in the land of Clowns Aren't So Bad. I love your poem's humanization of what lies within the mask. I think very few people actually look. But does who do... see something wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMy Magpie entry
powerful.
ReplyDeleteamazing innocence.
ReplyDeletePainted smiles, clowns often do scare me…
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad story ... the clown makes us laugh, amidst his sorrows.
ReplyDeletea crown is a magician with tricks known and sadness hidden.
ReplyDeleteglad to see this story.
what discovery.
ReplyDeletea crown, a joke!
I have never understood clowns...this really got under their skin (or make up) and can't help thinking tears of a clown applies just right!
ReplyDeleteI have often thought of clowns as being most unhappy people. They wear a painted smile to hide the sadness they feel inside.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Suyash.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know what they feel as they hide behind the masks or make-up & painted faces...
the last two lines are stellar...
ReplyDeleteThis very true and I think why I don't like clowns...because they really are so sad...it is their sadness that i pick up on and it engulfs me.
ReplyDeleteDonna@LivingFromHappiness
Their mouths may smile, but their eyes, many times, are sad.
ReplyDeletePoppy
Scary! What a primal fear; at least for me.
ReplyDeleteYou gave the clown a character and I think they do a good job of hiding their sorrows and pains behind the laughter~
ReplyDeleteHiding behind a smile is something we have all done at one time or another. This is a well woven rendering of that character,
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
clown is very mysterious. maybe happy. maybe sad but no one can really guess what's behind the make-up. i feel while clowns are loved, they are hated as well too.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Loved these lines:
ReplyDelete"And the children laugh.
And the pain subsides."
Nice interpretation of picture :)
Clowns are quite heavily made up, with reality hidden. Only at the end of the performance, is the real truth revealed..Usually a sad and lonely story..
ReplyDeleteExcellent topic...
Eileen
What a deep vision of those in life we use to laugh.
ReplyDeletehandsome.
ReplyDeleteTo me, clowns can either be scary or sad--I much prefer the sad I think--well done!!
ReplyDelete"pain in rewind" I like that.
ReplyDeletepowerful.
ReplyDeleteit is a painful peeling when you recall the dark part of your life.
ReplyDeletesmart metaphor.
vivid write.
ReplyDeleteIt's a circle of life, I guess, what is necessary to keep it going.
ReplyDeletebeautiful insights from the image provided.
ReplyDeletehappy rally.
I have often reflected on the closeness between laughter and tears - humor and malice. It's very complex, and I think you've pointed it out well.
ReplyDeleteWe all hide so much beneath a mask. Hayes Spencer is Kanzensakura
ReplyDeleteyeah - most of the clowns i met had that pain in their eyes...
ReplyDelete