An evil Ferris wheel disturbs the nightmares of the living
Disfigured clowns giggle to demented souls
A tattered tent limps awkwardly in the distance
Its faded stripes run in the rain
Like open wounds of seeping blood
The screams from the tent call to the morbid curiosity of lost dreamers
Deep down they are drawn to the charms of these horrors
And feel welcomed into the home of these deformed refugees
A bloated clown waits at the entrance
Blotchy patches of white makeup cover his skin
A depressed mass that scares the children
His red nose is broken and bleeds when he smiles
A memento of his secret cause
For the clown tracks down the abuses of women and children
And with his inhuman strength
Paints a clown mask on their face with fresh blood
A bearded lady combs through her greasy beard
Regarded by many as a freak of nature
Her hidden beauty can draw in any lover
For once it sings to your naked soul you will not consider another
She provides tender love to the loveless
And has given sensual enjoyment to those she deems worthy
She understands that perversions come in many forms
But will disfigure those who take advantage, so they won’t know pleasure again
Madam Val is the curator of the tent of oddities
Keeping grotesque specimens in jars that adorn her shelves
She treasures them like her children
Her distant personality makes her cold to others
Burdened by years of hearing the complaints of the dead
She visits a cemetery in ever town the circus travels
Mourning for the dead who have not seen anyone in years
And tends to their grieving souls
A caged lion sits against a rusted cage
Its mane is fraying and its fur is falling off
Performing his tired act each night in discontent
Its blood shot eyes disturb the children
Yet it does no injure or kill a single creature
For it must fulfil its vowel
Repaying debts from a past life
It holds true honour in its heart
A dark musty tent sits at the end of the grounds
Not even the creatures of the night will approach
Home to the magician Shak’batu with his twisted nose
The children laugh at his pathetic magic act
But at night he performs his demonic rituals
Avenging the tormented souls that seek justice
And releasing demons to carve cruel words
Into the flesh of mortals that do dark things in the night
A strong man lays drunk besides a circus tent
Another bottle of scotch runs dry
It falls amongst the grave of grieving bottles
A decorated war hero who saved many lives
He writes confronting poems of the sacrifices of war
Using a special ink he obtained from a dying clergyman
It is written on monuments and public spaces for all to see
The ink can only be removed from the tears of the sky
An evil Ferris wheel sits in the middle of the grounds
Its thick greasy bars make the children sick
And it pours blood into their shoes when they aren’t looking
A remanence of a dark convergence
The evil energy was forced into the Ferris wheel to save a small town
As it has no true will, it cannot harm anyone
But the essence of evil still seeps from its frame
Until its rusted cage falls apart with time
A solemn couple stand behind the counter of the ring toss game
Their frozen completion hides their true age
For they have been with the circus for two centuries
Once fraudsters and embezzlers
They gambled against the immortal trickster
Their loss has bound them to the ring toss game
Until they repay their debts with just acts of kindness
They will remain with the fractured souls of the circus for many years
But once the circus acts are finished
And the lights have been turned off
The observers to this nightmare do not always leave the grounds
For the sinister grins of clowns are not intended to farewell visitors
But welcome new arrivals to this demented home for refugees
To cleanse their broken hearts, they are taken to their tents
For some the nightmare is just beginning as they make restitution for their sins
At least someone can take comfort knowing the circus is in town.
