I know you are used to
wasting precious things,
like time and money

as you waltz around
carelessly you stumble
through your loft
in New York, New York.

But elsewhere strangers
of a different life
smell your alcohol stained
breath as they try
to enjoy the stage.

They think the circus
is just fake - that
the clowns wipe the
make up away
at the night's end.

And the ring leader
screams "Happy Birthday!"
to a kid in the front row
with a huge grin.

The lions behave
because if they don't
they won't eat.

Elephants eat peanuts
and wear ridiculous hats
because they do
what has been asked

every time.

You've never left the
city, so you wouldn't
understand.

But if your worlds
were ever to collide
you'd be the biggest
waste of a ticket.

You'd be the clown
with the biggest shoes
and the most vivid
painted face.

And at first you'd be
like the audience,
you wouldn't believe
any of it.

But soon

soon you would
learn just how real
it all is. . .