The Tamed Roar

It’s all glitter and grins, painted on thick,
Faces like masks, stretched plastic, elastic—
The ringmaster’s voice booming “Look at this!”
But the crowd, they don’t see what’s amiss.

Behind every laugh, there’s a slip, a crack,
The clowns’ tired eyes don’t blink back.
The lions roar like they’re meant to be wild,
But we all know—they’ve been tamed since a child.

And I sit here, popcorn in hand,
Watching the dance, the whip, the band,
Wondering why we all pay to pretend,
As the circus spins on, round till the end.