Welcome to our circus

 

Welcome to our circus

It pulls in quite the crowd

For it charges no admission

And says all welcomed and allowed

We hope that you’ll enjoy it here

But one thing if I may

Once here we’ll tell you what to feel

And think and do and say

We’ll tell you when to smile

And we’ll tell you when to cry

We’ll tell you what is best for you

And try to tell you why

But what’s best for the tiger

Isn’t what’s best for the clown

And the tightrope walker’s main concern

Is falling to the ground

For some it’s no big deal

And for some it’s life and death

But we all are playing Ringmaster

And thinking we know best

And if you dare to disagree

And if you speak your mind

We’ll attack behind our curtain

Whilst on stage we roar #bekind

We’ll tell you that you’re wrong

Although we’ll never hear your point

For we’re far too busy listening

To our own self-righteous voice

So welcome to our circus

Where you’re criticised for free

But whoops, did I say circus?

I meant society

*****

Becky Hemsley 2020

Artwork by Evelyn Edmeades

This poem is from Talking to the Wild

Source: Becky Hemsley Poetry on Facebook