He makes people laugh,
Every night is his job.
His chosen profession,
And yet he wonders what could have been.
Show business takes it’s toll,
Once he tried a family life.
But the road is hard and long.
Wife and child at home.
Home is the road,
The road takes it’s toll as well.
So tonight he puts on his makeup once more,
This has become his life.
The laughs and smiles are his job.
But inside he is always hurting,
Because everyone is smiling
Except for him.
Walt, your poem mirrors what has been written about the sad lives Red Skelton and Emmett Kelley Jr. led. Skelton was divorced a couple of times and devastated by the loss of his nine year old son Richard from leukemia. Emmett Kelley endured similar tragedies in his lifetime also. Certainly among clowns, those two were America's preeminent. A good message regarding the tragic figures that live behind smiling faces. I wish you peace and love my dear friend. Jon Michael
It may be wrong to think that all clowns are unhappy. I have been amazed by the long marriages and lives of some of our funniest people like George Burns, Buddy Epson, Ernest Borgnine, Groucho Marx, and Bob Hope, to name a few. Most of these people started work on the vaudeville circuit, much like the circus. I know that circus clowns, like all circus people, led a hard life, but that doesn't mean they were unhappy.
I once talked to a "carney" person who said the only way to succeed in marriage was to have your wife/partner on the road with you. Your poem reminded me of many carnivals and circus's I attended throughout my life and brought a wonderful smile of happy thoughts and memories to my mind. Love this!
Neurosis, a mental illness, affects everyone to a greater or lesser extent, yet most know little or nothing about it. This book reveals all, including incidence, signs and symptoms, cause, treatment and prevention, in lay language.
The Free Preview includes excerpts only. The full print edition is available from Barnes and Noble. Both the print and electronic editions are available from the publisher's Web site ("Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited").
The Narcis
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but too reveals itself in beautiful poetry
Smile Therapy & Secret Whopping Cushions
Vickie
Love,
Susan
enjoyed reading
Peace be with you
Anna
Love Tinka
Ron
Joy L. Hale