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The Clown on the Trapeze


Each faltering step, each fall of mine,
Makes you burst out into laughter:
Because I am the clown in the pack
Because the motley is my birthmark.

Each swing of leotards on trapezes
Sighs in comic relief in the tail of my coat:
Because the show must go on
Because the Master is watching it.

Watching it is His way
Of creating and preserving;
Watching it is your way
Of playing for a while
The game within the game;
On a spiralling ladder
Of intertwining Venn diagrams;
With no place determinate
For the clown in motley:

Because the show must go on


Note: I wrote this poem almost two decades ago.  Both the show and the clown have changed quite a bit, and they go on entertaining those concerned in their own ways. 

Comments

  1. Ravish ManiJune 20, 2015 at 10:15 PM

    Very sensitive & profound!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 20, 2015 at 10:34 PM

    The thought behind the poem will always stand valid. A clown must exist for the show to go on.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 21, 2015 at 10:21 AM

    beautiful and poignant.....

    ReplyDelete
  4. sunaina sharmaJune 21, 2015 at 10:38 AM

    nostalgic...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Roohi BhatnagarJune 21, 2015 at 1:03 PM

    The show must go on.. and we are the clowns..and still I want to know why?? Very nice poem, Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJune 21, 2015 at 10:03 PM

    Very meaningful. We are all clowns of somebody or the other.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownJune 23, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    Profound indeed...

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownJuly 7, 2015 at 11:08 AM

    beautiful blog....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sunshine-struckJuly 9, 2015 at 8:08 PM

    How tiring and monochromatic life could get after few years! Unless we don't put life into what we do.

    But,

    Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day, which must be done, whether you like it or not.

    -James Russell Lowell

    What do you say?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Titas BiswasJuly 18, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    Amazingly beautiful poem.
    Just for an information,please listen to 'The Show Must Go On' by Pink Floyd from their most famous album,'The Wall'.I am sure you'll find a similar psychedelic touch.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Titas BiswasJuly 18, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Titas BiswasJuly 18, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownJuly 23, 2015 at 7:13 PM

    I find no trace of yours on social media. Even you haven't updated your blog since a long while. I am worried. Are you alright?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Philip Verghese 'Ariel'September 26, 2015 at 10:20 AM

    Hi Tomichan,
    Good to meet you on your page.
    What pleasant surprise to meet yet writer from my native land.
    Good to read this, Well written piece!
    Yes the show must go on!!
    Keep going
    Keep writing
    Best regards
    Have a wonderful weekend
    ~ Phiip Ariel

    ReplyDelete

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