Sunday, May 20, 2012

Yellow Clown Blues

Clowns always break me;
I see beneath the grease paint and rubber nose.

Your mask doesn’t work with me either,
no one’s does.

I carry the world’s
sorrow around my neck,
anger in my throat,
fear under my shoulder blades,

bilious, pressing,
threatening at any moment
to bubble through
in lavish sobs.



Image: The Circus with the Yellow Clown by Marc Chagall

This is written for The Mag where you will find many wonderful responses to the image provided by Tess Kincaid.  

51 comments:

  1. Maybe that is why some of us fear clowns so much - they so mirror our pain under a fake face.

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    1. Yes, there is a lot of clown-fear out there.

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  2. Clowns always make me sad....nice write, Mary.

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  3. I enjoyed the colorful title of your poem, Mary. The text is heart wrenchingly woeful.... convincingly so. Lavish kudos for the sobs. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. Oh, I do love this, Mary... especially the final two stanzas.

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  5. Apologies - I did some revision after I put this up, but it's basically the same message.

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  6. yeah, having been one...i can tell you sometimes the many times the smile is painted on....and i am pretty empathetic so i often pick up the burden of the world...

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  7. I believe that just from your writing and your comments Brian. Thanks for reading.

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  8. well done O Mary...thanks for sharing your words

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  9. Clown never fooled me either, and they're sooo. creepy. I like your honest perception of this painting.

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  10. i like how you just admit that you see beneath the paint, no one talks about that

    show's about to begin

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    1. Thanks Zongrik - sometimes I wish I couldn't.

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  11. I think we all wear a mask, some painted others behind expressions, this was a brilliant write Mary

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  12. Oh I too see through clowns, but if I try not to see them for who they really are...that seems to make all the difference...and it's a good thing.....for me. Now if only my daughter could see the happy side to clowns!

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  13. I like this a lot. I don't know why,but clowns often seem to look out of grinning greasepaint faces with sad eyes.

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  14. "Clowns always break me" ... I guess it's gotta be something.

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  15. Like you, I always see clowns as tragic figures. I enjoyed your work here.

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    1. I wonder if you had Red Skelton on your side of the pond.... Thank you Doctor. :o)

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  16. I feel the tragedy here! Nicely done
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  17. I feel like giving you a hug so,

    (0)

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  18. I do like that fear/shoulder blades bit.
    Got to say: my first time for "bilious" in a poem

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    1. Thanks - I'm usually a good bet for something oddly gross! heheh

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  19. I never thought of sobs being lavish...I like that...

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    1. Thanks. I sob quite lavishly (an cry unattractively).

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  20. I always think of "sadness" when I see clowns too--the pain disguised behind the "mask." Well captured, Mary.

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  21. Dear Mary: Clowns have this layered effect, so unauthentic some of them. I like the sad clowns for this reason. The funny ones are too fake. Wonderfully stated poetrics~

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  22. I'm not a mask-lover either.

    Nice write.

    =)

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  23. I'm glad to hear of a truly happy clown. :o)

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  24. They sure are ominous in a lot of souls. I like the grip of fear portrayed in this poem and your determination not to succumb to it!

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  25. Its great Mary, never too dark for me. I heard a lot of comedians suffer depression really badly, so your right on it ! .
    Bill Jango

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    1. Thank you Kutamun. Yes, I think humor is a way to try to cope with sorrows.

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  26. So well known...the fear under shoulder blades. Perfect presentation!

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  27. Heavy duty excellent write.

    Anna :o]

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