The Joker

They laugh at me.
They applaud thunderously.
They forget their worries;
their past, present and future.
They forget their animal side
and they also forget
its a human they are laughing at.

I wear this ridiculous robe,
I don this silly hat,
paint my face funny,
jump like an ape,
dance like an insane,
babble like a drunk,
make myself a fool;
all this for them, to laugh!

How many of them see
the tears behind the paint;
the greying hair beneath the hat;
the wearing bones inside the clothes,
and a heart encaged within.

I jump at my inabilities;
dance to the ballads of my woes;
babble the muted words of my heart;
and yes, I too have one,
which feels pain;
a stomach which feels hunger;
a brain which still holds traces
of dignity and esteem.
Yes, like you, even I am human,
not just the Joker.