Laugh, Pagliaccio.

For sorrow now knocks,
and racks upon you
its thousand woes

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

As the mourning dew,
adorns your withered rose

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

For the thorny nest,
now covets.
That blackened heart

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

As from this bed,
you’ll never come to wrest;
Ever-nested in ****** vines.
You’ll writhe, each ****** day.
So forgo any and all hopes of rest
And—

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

Whilst the furrows deepen,
and the time for tears, comes down weepin’,
to dole over joys no more leapin’,
joys that strain, under sadness, now seepin’,  
As unsown fruits ripen;
and become the unworthy’s reapin’

Truly,
heartbreak’s come
and taken all—
worth keepin’

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

Not for the people’s pay,
no—
for the fool that you are,
swayed as you were,
like child’s play.

Laugh, Pagliaccio.

The people restless;
clamour, bicker and fight.
In wait for their beloved Pagliaccio;
the clown with wit and humour rife.
So adorn your mug with that ghastly white,
and let them gaze.
Upon the clown of wit and humour rife;
not a man suffering under muted plight,
nor one vengeful;
of horrors, in spite.

For you, by fate have been chosen,
to carry,
this chip and blight.
Now, heavy heart, make light
and brave these jagged waters,
that ill-humour has tasked you smite

Go now!
Caper in. To the jester’s tent.
But beware;
be not seen under the searing light.

Do not love,
Half lover

Do not preach,
Orator
Preaching half truths

Do not dream,
Get by-er
Dreaming half dreams

Do not work,
Ease-seeker
Working half heartedly

And when around you;
Half dreamers, and half preachers, and half workers

Do not succumb

Do not conform

Do not become


Do not seek,
O contented one
Seeking to be different

Do not aspire,
O common one
Aspiring to be remembered

Do not pretend,
O masked one
Pretending to be what you’re not

And when around you;
Contented ones, and ordinary ones, and masked ones

Do not conflate

Do not adopt

Do not plate


Do not achieve,
Self-obsessor
Achieving,
Then justifying

Do not think,
Deluder
Thinking,
Then fooling

Do not write,
Flaunter
Writing,
Then showing

And when around you;
Self-obsessors and deluders and flaunters

Do not get wooed nor woo

Do not rationalize

Do not do


Do not confide,
Manipulator
Confiding half-thoughts

Do not judge,
O fragile one
Judging, to be righteous

Do not promise,
Oathbreaker
Promising,
Then go forgetting

Do not undermine
When within-
You praise

Do not boast honesty
When you hide so
Nor of the latter
For that is not any better

And when in you;

A confider and manipulator
A judging one,
and a fragile one
A promiser and oathbreaker
An undermining one,
and a praising one
A truthful one, and a hider

You find,
Then-

Do not confide,
Only to then manipulate

Do not judge,
Only to then be fragile

Do not promise,
Only to then,
Oath-break

Do not undermine,
Only to then,
Yourself praise

Do not hide,
Only to then, of it, be honest


Choose

Half-lover