He made the world laugh—until love took his laughter away.

______________________________________

Let me tell you all a short and sad story,

a story so hilarious, yet so painful and gory

Let me tell you about a simple and good clown,

who just performed, and wasn’t interested in glory

______________________________________

He worked in a famous and grand circus,

so grand, it made all a little bit nervous

The circus encompassed all entertainment,

having just one rhyme, and one single purpose

______________________________________

The famed circus was just focused on fun,

ignoring all sadness, it was so fixated on pun

It abhorred all darkness in favor of bright light,

it chose to ignore the night; it worshipped the sun

______________________________________

The clown was so happy, but only on the outside,

his eyes told the cruel truth, while his smile only lied

Riding the high waves of senseless mirth and joy,

his sadness was a hidden and silently breathing tide

______________________________________

Masking his sadness with a smile so open and bright,

was something he had learnt just like a true knight

Being unhappy inside, yet always beaming with joy,

was an art he had practiced hard, each day and each night

______________________________________

His act drew huge crowds, and it made people laugh,

being fired from a cannon, his act was only a gaffe

He flew across the pavilion, landing safely on a net,

the kind cannon, thankfully, did not cut him in half

______________________________________

One day, while the clown was performing his act,

he saw a lovely vision, no dream but a glaring fact

She was an acrobat who swam gracefully in the air,

her magical eyes avoiding his, making no contact

______________________________________

The clown grabbed his chest, lowering his guard,

about to explode, his heart throbbing so very hard

Unbeknownst to his senses, he had fallen in love,

but it wasn’t beautiful, the reality was all scarred

______________________________________

He watched the girl for long, savoring her image,

vision overwhelmed, his senses taxing his courage

What to do and how to do? He thought so hard,

his sanity in wild chaos, all thoughts in scrimmage

______________________________________

So many days had passed, she occupied his mind,

so many nights had passed, his fate was all signed

His heart was wrecked forever; there wasn’t a way,

love is neither a salvation nor is it always kind

______________________________________

Then one fateful day, the clown decided to act,

approaching the girl bravely, he forgot all tact

‘I love you’ - he just blurted out the three words,

like he was just finishing the draft of a pact

______________________________________

She looked at him for long and then laughed out loud,

‘I waited for love so long and ignored the whole crowd’

She looked at him with distaste and said the cruel words,

‘look how God punishes me for being so damn proud’

______________________________________

‘A clown, He sends me?’ She looked up at the sky,

‘A clown, He sends me!’ She then started to cry

‘Why am I so unfortunate?’ She questioned herself;

‘Why a clown was to love me?’ She regretted with a sigh

______________________________________

‘I love you and want to make you happy,’ he said;

‘I love you and want to save you from pain and dread

Don’t doubt my words, my love, for they are all true

I will serve and love you till I stop living, and fall dead’

______________________________________

‘You will never stay by my side; I banish you forever ‘

She said after a while, in a steady voice, no single tremor

‘I cannot bear your ugly presence, I do not want you here,

‘I can never love you back - you may cry, or you may act clever’

______________________________________

The clown just bent his head; he could not see a way,

but something just broke inside him that fateful day

The clown lost all his laughter; he lost all his smiles,

his face was still painted, the reds hiding the grey

______________________________________

He started dying inside on that day and thereafter,

being neither ever wanted nor much sought after

And on his gravestone it is written, as I have heard,

‘Here lies the clown who fell in love and lost his laughter’