An Empty Theatre Poem by Paula Glynn

No audience claps after this performance,
I am the clown of the show,
I have been crowned the king of fools,
I show no remorse, only tears,
As my painted face mourns the loss,
Of a foolish heart and a foolish love.

I have lived and lost,
I face death at a heavy cost,
I see no hope as I stare,
At the empty seats,
That once were so full,
Where I shone like a star,
Where I didn't hold back,
Or keep secrets,
For the world was my keeper.

My life, my design and my dreams,
Mine and mine alone,
Then I became hyper,
And paid the price,
These pockets once so full,
Now I'm desolate and poor,
What once was is now gone.

The applause has faded and vanished,
Along with every person once in my life,
And these are the tears of a clown,
Who once wore a crown,
And shone with glory,
And I am lonely here,
Memories bittersweet.

A curse has been placed on my life,
Some imprint of the devil,
For tears roll and time disappears,
The show long since faded,
Like a rose sensing the turn,
Of summer to autumn,
Seasons rolling around,
Forgetting the tears this clown has shed,
And I feel I will soon be dead,
Like a tree in the onset of a cold, cold winter.