The Clown

By Subhadeep Santra

I sing I dance like a ridiculous buffoon

I am a clown that hums and croon

I caress carelessly the lion’s mane

You may smile but my life is a bane

I have a son seven years old

Little naughty and a little bold

To keep him happy I jump and fall

But alas! He is not happy at all

His smile vanishes into a frown

When his friends call his father a clown

For every child the clown is real fun

But none wants their father to be one!

But alas! I must earn the bread that feeds him

I make others smile but see his smile go dim

I dip my sorrow in wine kept in a wooden cask

And when I cannot hide my tears I wear a mask

I cannot be his hero for whom I earn

May be in the next birth we can take a turn

***

By Subhadeep Santra