SMILING CLOWNS

We all have clowns in our lives that give us joy. Cherish the clowns that suffer so you don't have to. RIP Robin Williams

 

 

All smiling clowns cry; just not in public for everyone to see.
No, clowns cry alone; behind their happy smiles lives misery.
People love to kick them; they throw water in their face.
The silly clown just laughs but pain always leaves a trace.
We are amused by their abuse; it always makes us laugh.
We are so caught up in our mirth; we ignore them being bashed.
These clowns in our lives show us the merriment of life.
They provide us with a little joy in this world full of strife.
They cry alone in the darkness; away from the ambient light.
Alone with bruised feelings, hunted by crowds cheering their plight.
We take advantage of all they have; we steal their joy without care.
We watch as our smiling clowns fall silently into despair.
When all the laughter is complete; our silly clowns simply fall down.
On this sad occasion they will not rise again from the ground.
The clown that cried in the darkness will finally make us all sad.
Their smile will be taken and we will miss the love that they had.
A smiling clown in our life is a rare and wonderful thing. 
Be sure to cherish their joy and the love that they bring.

© 2013 Eddie Phillips

Reviews

[J. Kell]

Excellent write. It's sad but really true many people have to keep making jokes and laughing and entertaining others otherwise they would break down in front of us. This is very well done and has great rhyme scheme throughout. I had a question "When all the laughter is completely; our silly clown will finally fall down" Is this supposed to read "When all the laughter is completed; our silly clown will finally fall down"?

[Eddie Phillips]

Great catch. I didn't see that I left it like that. Thanks for reading and finding that error.

[J. Kell]

no problem I do it all the time great poem!

[Pax]

This poem reminds me of the song i love so much, i started a joke, That reminded me when i was bullied for laughs, i really don't mind at times but there are limits to when you can all handle it, i do breakdown and cry, alone...

[Randolph]

Snagged me. Nicely done.

[Cody Williams]

Great write Eddie! Thanks for sharing!

-CW

[Clara]

This reminds me of Charlie Chaplin's, 'Smile'.
Lovely write.

[KaylasPoetryBook]

This reminds me so much of one of my friends...Being in a relationship with him showed me that there's a lot of pain that lies behind all the jokes and antics. You somehow think that they're invincible because of the smile that's always on their faces, you think that they can't be hurt. Until you see them without the mask. Beautiful and insightful piece.

[Eddie Phillips]

Pain can be masked but its effect on a person cannot be taken away. I wrote this poem to talk about the whimsical people in our lives that give us a little joy to carry on. It does not come without sacrifice. I thank you for connecting with this poem. I greatly appreciate your time.

[KaylasPoetryBook]

You're very welcome. (:

[Zackery Alan Daley]

The predisposed notion that this is about a sad clown is what really makes this piece powerful, to me. The irony of happiness, and how people who make us the happiest are often the saddest. Very great piece.

[Eddie Phillips]

This poem has imagery and layers. It references clowns to give us an example but it speaks about the people in our life that bring joy while suffering in silence. I have friends who are no longer here that made me laugh and gave me reason to want to get up each day. Many of them are no longer here but their memory still lingers. Thanks for stopping by and reading. I really enjoyed your comments. I will be reading some of your poems.

[Talkless]

Amazing peom epic i must say.

[Eddie Phillips]

Thank you for reading it. We all have funny people in our lives. They can give an d give but we very rarely see the pain they hide. Thanks for stopping by.

[Marc Marlon Villaflor]

Great write bro. great feelings towards the melancholy life of the clown. It is really true, it also reflects to us as ordinary people how we pretend sometimes that we are happy, but beyond in our grandious smile, our hearts cried, just like a clown we pretend to be happy and unaffected but in the end we suffered.

[Eddie Phillips]

Levity can heal the heart but it should never be at the cost of someone else's happiness. There are a lot of funny good people in the world that suffer in silence. Thank you for connecting with this poem. I wrote it while sitting here doing nothing. It just came to me. I wasn't sure what it was about until I finished it. That happens sometimes.

[Marc Marlon Villaflor]

I love it :) I always enjoy your writing :) thanks for sharing Brother.