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The Circus

By Ali Ashhar
The taxes are slashed in the name of campaign
some unfulfilled promises being promised to be fulfilled—
the potholes meant to be taken care of,
the water supply hindrance
the housing board joins in
as the list goes on;
meanwhile, the actor at the stage giving the shot of his life
the audience have known similar plots erstwhile
ironically, the masquerade of muser amuses them again
sometimes, bizzare circus comes to the rescue
sometimes, the brazen lyrics of pseudo-nationalism.
The tale of bread and circus adds to the climax
the actor looks up to it naively
the audience’s vision have been overshadowed
for the bread
is a thing of privilege in the disarrayed crowd,
the rattle of pseudo-nationalism deafens all raised ears
the sky portrays a deceptive theme
as the play continues on the sly horizon.


Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer and columnist. He is the award-winning author of two poetry collections: Mirror of Emotions ( Notion Press, 2021) and Across the Shore (Zorba Books, 2024).

Categories

Poetry, The River

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