and I listened and smoked

as the clock ticked away

I drifted away in my mind

Across the wire a sheep cried wolf

and darkness cloaked her whimpering

no music came for company

no music came in whispering

I heard so many old regrets

I saw the thickening of despair

while on some stage the scenes were set

for plays alone and bare

It was the voice of that sad clown

on the telephone line

that noise in the distance

somewhere in time

and I listened and smoked

as the clock ticked away

I drifted away in my mind

Trying to stop someone from drowning

is courageous if you're feeling strong

but you can't ever stop

a sad clown from frowning

when a painted face says it's all wrong

so many

well, they don't want the help that you give

they cry in your ear late at night

sad songs and dances

are the way that they live

while you sit listening

in bright

floor lamp

light

Sad Clown

Sitting in the floor lamp's light

darkness closed in hours ago

a voice was crying in my ear

that voice was sobbing all alone

sitting in my rocking chair

I watched the smoke from a cigarette

I drank a beer and I rocked and stared

at walls and night dreams there

It was the voice of a sad clown

on the telephone line

a noise in the distance

somewhere in time

© Gerald Nicholas Simpson.  All rights reserved.