Inspired by the Iron Maiden Song, Tears of a Clown
Drinking, he recalled the Circus Grim,
and the strange world that ruined him.
He had done anything for a laugh.
Once, the magician sawed him in half.
He'd traveled the whole country round.
Now tears fall from the circus clown.
An orphan child, running from disaster,
fell into the service of a cruel ringmaster.
At first, he was never seen on stage,
laboring to clean a hungry lion's cage.
In dreams, he wore a jewelled crown,
and he rose to fame and renown.
The juggler, fire-eater and contortionist,
joked with him and the beauty he loved best.
It was then, a drunken challenge, he made,
and, to his surprise she accepted, unafraid.
She caught his eye as she came down,
a moment frozen for a circus clown.
His secret love, he thought, flew like a dove,
enchanting him, like an angel above.
No matter how he tries, he won't forget,
the trapeze girl who missed the net.
He'll swill whisky until he drowns
in tears, the broken-hearted circus clown.
Categories:
fire eater, death, drink, grief, heartbroken,
Form: Rhyme
Waiting around in our lockdown
Keeping busy without a frown
Suddenly what did I see on TV
Something that I thought I’d never see
Surely not they aren’t that dumb
A demonstration in lockdown for fun
They abused everyone but mostly it was the police
And they demanded a quick lockdown release
There was a fire eater there as well
For entertainment they thought was swell
So I wondered why these people decided
COVID 19 was not for them and not provided
Some people only open their mouths for us to be enticed
That they are self centred and can’t be left to their own device
So they are fined for being out whilst not allowed
And beating horses which was so foul
The only saving grace in it all for us
Is that their mates dob them in without a fuss.
© Paul Warren Poetry
Categories:
fire eater, anxiety, death, life,
Form: Dramatic Verse
"That's alright..." he cry he cry he cries.
"we're all alive on the inside and you're
my friend my friend my friends
and i'm gonna kill you."
Like we're all holed up in a delirium
hotel and when he's done you'll know some
things you didn't know before //oh let it
rain let it rain let it rain to kill the pain\\
"A crack in the window a world in a hole and
i want you to see the magician, a fire eater,
the fat lady, serpentina, sea monkey, see honey,
see my flipper feet and we're all here just to
make a dollar and then you'll have to go now."
And all the time the ticking timer inside your
head tocs and knocks for a last call on the
dollar deal --> always showtime on the inside
of your heart but the soul's dead!
And so we wait in line and do the time oh what
a pity oh what a crime!
:: 05-21-2018 ::
Categories:
fire eater, poetry,
Form: Free verse
CIRCUS?
It wasn’t a sparkling circus,
or even a good kind of show;
It was in the hot dusty countryside,
and lacked entertainment, or any
kind of glow, mothers with their
children, dads with furrowed brow
The first act was a pop singer, oh
how I wished he’d go, next came a
flaming fire-eater, who also swallowed
swords, drawing children from their playing,
with gasps and mighty OH’s!
Then came a pair aged fifty-five, who
argued about life, and fell and slapped
about the stage, a warring man and wife
But the sand and flies, and micro-chair
made it all too much; I felt I’d wasted
money, on this “circus”, called as such
So me, my wife and strapping son, in to
the night then gone
And thus we tell the dreary tale, of the
circus that never shone
Categories:
fire eater, memory,
Form: Verse
There was a fire eater named Glinder
Who performed for a circus in Flinder.
He pushed the torch down far
Forgetting his hours at a bar.
All that remains of Glinder is a cinder.
Categories:
fire eater, humor,
Form: Limerick
The dark of the night sky: clear, unlimited space
Lights and a bright white moon, of clouds no trace
The mood suddenly changes, the lights are faded
The vault of heaven is raided, the azure invaded
Realization in a flash, the barren moon stands abashed
Now fainthearted, lily-livered, her quiet joy is crashed
Hide not your face behind clouds the color of yellow dirt
I know your phases, feel your moods, I know you`re hurt
Battered, barren, lonely, evanescent orb of night
From your cursed dance peace you`ll never find
But I`ll be your fire eater, one who devours the sun
Artemis, Luna, Diana, your true name knows none
Categories:
fire eater, nature, romantic,
Form: Quatrain
The blues they have me down, sometimes they can be so mean
Yeah they have me down and sometimes they can be so mean
Suicidal thoughts, they got me caught in between
They can be so mean, they have me caught in between
I try to be romantic and buy my wife a bouquet of flowers
But with her bad news, she brings a dozen showers
She tells me we can no longer live on dreams
She is like the blues, leaving me caught in between
Suicide may be the best way out
I try to tell her what the blues are all about
The blues they have me down, sometimes they can be so mean
My wife tells me she's gone, we cannot live on dreams
No forward address to contact her, cannot even say hello
I feel for her, the stress from bills and money we owe
I wonder which way to turn, which way I should go
If I decide suicide, does the fire eater really collect my soul
How much more can I truly bear
I have no hope, I am in such deep despair
The grass is never greener on the other side as it seems
The blues can be so heartless, they can be so mean
Categories:
fire eater, song-me, wife, me,
Form: Ballad