Mask of Sorrow

Beneath the painted smile, a shadowed gaze, A heart that beats to rhythms not their own. He trips and tumbles through the laughter's maze, A solitary figure strangely known. The bright facade, a fragile joyful lie, Conceals the yearning for a gentler touch, A silent question mirrored in the eye, Of one who gives so much yet asks for much. The greasepaint cracks with stories left untold, Of dreams that dance beyond the circus ring, A fragile spirit brave and yet controlled, Whose painted sorrow makes the children sing. So ponder deeply when the laughter fades, What lonely truth the clown's bright mask evades. ©bfa042125