Cirque Du Mal

Welcome home

The sign read

Surrounded by twinkling lights.

She clutched her bag

Tight to her chest

And hoped it was right.

So long had she wandered

No end in sight

But this tent had beckoned

So no longer did she fight.

The ringmaster nodded

His large hand outstretched

A grin stretched on his lips

His glee farfetched.

“Come on in!”

He cried,

Grabbing her wrist.

She thought once,

Then twice,

But she couldn’t resist.

Outcasts, performers,

Freaks of all kind

Filled up the ring

Not one fell behind.

The crowd cheered and cried

Smiles widely spread.

They wanted more from the creeps

But there was more ahead.

“I’ve arrived,”

She whispered

As tears stained her cheeks.

She’d traveled so long

Losing count of the weeks.

She could juggle and dance,

Swing from the trapeze

She’d do whatever they wanted

It was her expertise.

But fame came fast

And money flew in.

The ringmaster wanted her there

And he was the kingpin.

The fun of the show

The glitter, the glee,

Soon wore itself down

And nothing came free.

“Keep going,”

He’d say

The ringmaster, the man.

She’d fly through her routines,

But her face was deadpan.

“We welcomed you home,

We took you inside.

You asked no questions,

You took the free ride.”

As soon as it ended,

The show, the art,

She’d fade into the background

Playing her part.

The ringmaster’s grin

Would fade with the dark.

His face was a laugh,

His smile trademark.

“I know that you tried,

You all did your best.

But your best’s not enough,

And you cannot rest.”

Slash

His whip cried

As it streaked through the air.

Thwack

It resounded

The skin struck bare.

The freaks cried out

With each lash of his whip.

It was the same every night

Within the ringmaster’s grip.

“Listen to me!”

His anger was spiking.

The crying annoyed him

No, they weren’t dying.

“Your place is here

In this home that I’ve built.

Your place is here

No matter your guilt.

I own you all!

Without me, you’d die.

My home is your home,

There is no need to cry.”

The freaks wiped their tears,

Blood mixed with their sweat.

He was right, of course,

There was no need to fret.

But he could not stop her,

The one so inclined,

The one who needed this home,

Who all left behind.

She left the tent,

Her back in tatters,

Running into the city

Forgetting her manners.

“Help!”

She started,

Her voice but a whisper.

“Help me!”

She continued

Her feet beginning to blister.

A hand,

She felt, wrapped around her arm,

Ripped her back

Filling her with alarm.

The ringmaster glared

His large hand gripping her flesh

A grin stretched on his lips

His new anger fresh.

“Come back my dear,

What did I say?

You are mine now,

You are here to stay.”

He dragged her into the tent,

Throwing her to the ground.

He grabbed a large rope,

Making sure she was bound.

A needle glistened in the light

Of a candle flickering on the windowsill.

Thread pierced its eye

As he pressed it to her lips

But he ignored her blood curdling cry.

Welcome home

The sign read

Surrounded by twinkling lights.

Welcoming new visitors,

Through so many nights.

The crowd always cheered

As the trapeze girl swung

They clapped their hands

Most of them young.

But a small vailed covered

The trapeze girl’s grin

The veil concealed her secret

And went to her chin.

When she finally came down,

She smiled with her eyes.

She accepted applause

Enjoying their cries.

But as soon as they left

She pulled the veil back

No longer having to hide

Or fear an attack.

Her swollen lips were bloody

Lacing holding them together

Purple bruises revealing needle whole

The skin now like leather.

“You did well tonight,”

The ringmaster said

Wrapping an arm around her

His fingers outspread.

“Now you know that I love you,

You call this your home.

You are free here inside

But you mustn’t roam.”

Secrets are lethal

She thought as she wept

Words are internal

And no secret is kept.

The ringmaster winked,

And sent her on her way.

Her bloody lips stitched

To keep her at bay.

Welcome home

The sign reads

The words plain as day

But once you come in

The ringmaster makes sure you stay.