Clowns

they say are funny
They make us smile
Make grey days sunny
With moments of beguile.

But are they happy
Does anyone ask
Behind that wig and make up
Which is their gaudy mask
To cover up the pain
Of personal grief
It can be hard to forget
Life’s sad refrain.

When the party’s over
And the crowds disperse
What’s left then!
But the endgame, sad and perverse

So tell me jester
Do you shed a tear?
When the darkness comes
When the curtain falls
And black shadows appear.


******