THE CLOWN
There was a grand fair
in the wide field outside our not-so-famous town.
People waited for it all year –
saving a little,
just enough to enjoy a day with friends,
with family,
to see new things,
to bring home something fancy,
a bargain to cherish.
The circus was the heart of it all.
I remember, as a child,
a clown who mocked his own misfortune –
his sorrow turned into laughter
for everyone else.
We laughed too,
forgetting, for a while,
the weight we carried.
The next year,
I went back, searching for that face –
the vividly painted smile,
his real face hidden beneath the colours
that shaped a foolish grin.
But the clown was gone.
There were the same acrobats,
the stunts on bikes,
the magician,
the elephants parading as before.
Except now, there stood a parrot –
clever, talking,
outsmarting its master,
earning the applause of everyone,
who didn’t even notice
the clown’s absence
Dr. Shamim Akhtar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at ICFAI University Mizoram. He has recently authored a book titled Smoke and Society: The Culture, Consumption and Control of Tobacco in Mizoram. A researcher, writer, and passionate poet, he explores themes of memory, longing, and the human condition. His work often reflects a blend of lyrical sensitivity and deep introspection.
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