Once there was a circus man
Who lived with friends in Circus Land
They performed for people who’d smirk at them
Every single day.

But one day this tired circus man
Was done with living in Circus Land
Told his boss he was a **** and
Quit that very day.

And then that worn-out circus man
Became a full-fledged mountain man
Living the life he always wanted
To this very day.

It’s nothing, really, just a scratch
I’ll simply leave it be.
Oh look, it’s formed a little bump
It’s right here on my knee.

Oh crap, another, is this a rash?
It’s spreading ‘cross the skin
My hands feel like they’re cushioning
A thousand tiny pins.

And on my back there’s one to match
The large mark on my face.
How ever did I get myself
Into this painful place?

Then the bites, as one big batch
Began to turn and itch
“Enough!” I said, “I can’t stand it
These things hurt like a *****!”

Sadly, I realized there’s a catch
I cannot mess with those.
For if I do, they’ll multiply
Like sharp thorns on a rose.

I hear a buzz and I ******
A mosquito from the air.
I guess they knew in biting me
That I would really care.

Welcome to the Land of Upside-Down
Where sad faces smile and happy ones frown.
Place your coat on the floor and shoes on the rack,
Enter my home and don’t ever come back.
Stand up on the chair and sit on the table,
Only four legs, but it’s still unstable.
Problems arise from nothing at all
With a chance of answers being very small.
Everything is good when in fact it’s all wrong
And you hide it, pretending to be strong.
Your face tells the truth while your words deceive
Causing more pain than you’d like to believe.
Sitting on that table, your silence tells me everything
Knowing the truth makes your conveyance forever sting.
While you make sense in your confused state-of-mind
Your issues feed on my clarity and become intertwined.
So remain on that shaky table as I leave the room
This lively lying home is now your lowly loathing tomb.
As you knowingly forget your atrocious crimes
Remember in this land I see them a thousand times.
And I will remain here, snared by your ******* traps,
Even when the world passes on, here t’will never collapse.
Welcome to the Land of Upside-Down
Where hope lives in despair as wishful dreams drown.

See the mountains shrouded in mist,
These low lying clouds wanting to be kissed
By the unsettling beauties
Performing their duties
Trying not to be missed.

On those peaks rest blankets of snow
Covering more than clouds know
The roads must abide
On this mountainside
Like the rivers long ago.

And like a river, it splits down the way
Do I aim for the top so far away,
Or stay on the ground
With hardly a sound
Beside the trees and sway?

But of course, I’ll aim for the sky
Silky blue sheet where the heavens lie
I won’t stop and fail
Behind a hazy veil
And say I couldn’t even try.

On that winding path I follow
Finding people filled with sorrow
They had enough
When the going got tough
Wishing for a better tomorrow.

The troubled souls shed sadness to me
Despite the fact that I am free
Of dramatic woes,
Threatening foes,
And thoughts of things to be.

Trudging forward despite the pain
The mourning clouds reply with rain
But I mustn’t veer
From my goal, now so clear
For there is much to be gained.

Unable to see too far ahead
My mind fills with awe, not with dread
For life’s an adventure
And I’m in the center
Of a story yet to be read.

A restless night for me once again
Every waking moment wishing for the end
Head pounding relentlessly
Craving sleep uneffortlessly
Why do you think less of me
When you see my bloodshot eyes?

What’s that I see in the distance?
Giving a second glance
Pale yellow haze peeks behind black
The sun’s first rays must surely be shy
For they’re taking their time crossing the sky
My weary body gives in quite fast
Finding Sweet repose at long last!

And when the visions come flooding in
I dream of sorrow and the darkness within.

Eye dilated, ears roaring
Senses soaring
I wake.

A restless night for me once again
Head pounding relentlessly
Craving sleep uneffortlessly.

Months fly by, the seasons go
Springs into summer, fall leads to snow.
Dreadful hot Junes melt blizzard-filled Decembers,
While April and Autumn are hardly remember’d.

Times when trees begin to blossom,
Those with Frisbees start to toss ‘em.
When school lets out and the students cheer,
Forgetting the halfway point is here.
And when the leaves turn red and gold
Couples huddle to keep from the cold.
At last, when the first snowfall blankets the ground
We see the year has finally gone ‘round.

So the next time you have a dull moment
Do this, it will make you content:
Stop everything and look outside,
See what the world can do and provide.
And savor these moments for any reason,
Whether you’re sad, or in a different season.

Say one thing and mean another,
Lies and secrets start to smother.
See every angle and hear every word
Without ever being where it occurred.
Emotions soon become confused and clouded
By everyone’s views condensed and crowded.
The solution so easy yet the problem so tough
Those involved will never call the bluff.
Hearts will be broken and friendships lost
The truth is withheld, but at what cost?
So escape and be true, while you still can
To when life was clear, before the lies began.

September 1, 2009
©MDC