This poem explores the idea of trying to validate yourself by pleasing others and finding out that it may not lead to happiness. This can make us resentful to those around us and potentially feel trapped and upset wanting to either reach out or lash out. 

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The Clown

At first, I longed for laughter,
To see a smile on their face, 
I gave happiness freely, 
And they took till they bulged.

Now all laughter seems hollow, 
What is laughter with out tears?
The laugh is weak, forged, corrupted, twisted,
Malleable as the laugh is, 
The tear is strong.

Raw and pure the tear is.
What I now crave to see.
I tire of the clown, 
How they see me as their entertainment.
Their right to synthetic joy.

I despise them for their selfishness, 
Their lies, my naivety
If laughter doesn’t yield love, 
The clown is eternally sad.

by The Count of Delphi