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lyrics

Circus of Mirrors

I paint my face with laughter and tears.
The clown I am to myself
thinks he runs the show,
lives in a circus of mirrors.

I pay for my tickets,
twisted strips as red as raw meat,
changing hands as smoothly
as the tools of a surgeon.

I come and go afraid,
not sure which side is real,
I lose myself
in mirror after mirror.

I live my reflection
over and over.
I dread the revenge of light
when it discovers the trap.

I watch the back and forth clown
prancing through a land he thinks he owns.
His face glistens and bloats
with the greed of the day.

He moves as musically as water,
as silently as light,
in a hurry to nowhere.
He does not believe I am real.

He wears the makeup of my pain,
frozen into a permanent smile.
His words tinkle as joyously
as breaking glass.
His face floats over the evening.
It follows me when I leave
like a lonely Mylar balloon
attached by an invisible string.

He aches in my dreams, steals the warmth from my sleep.
My cover is as thin as a sheet
of aluminum foil. I awake shivering and alone.
All is quiet.

The circus is a mere memory.
The mirrors in my house
are as still as they were
when no one was home.

There are strips of torn paper in my pockets
which could have been a poem.
I piece them together.
They slice to the bone.

They are like slivers of silvered glass,
shards of captured years,
each word a vicious side show,
a flood of living tears.

My hands bleed
all over them.
It is the story
of my life.

credits

from Into Light: The Poems of M. D. Friedman, released January 1, 2024

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Mad Dog Friedman | Mad Dog Blues | Peddlers of Joy image

Mad Dog Friedman | Mad Dog Blues | Peddlers of Joy Lafayette, Colorado

Mad Dog writes from the moment and sings from his heart. His influences include sources as divergent as William Butler Yeats & the delta blues. His songwriting is sincere, simple & often humorous. He has recorded many solo & collaborative projects featuring his spontaneous compositions on harmonica, Native American flute & Theremin. He is also the founder of Mad Dog Blues & The Astral Project. ... more

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