The Circus

Colors shoot out and hit their mark.
The lights drawing them in like flies.
Cheers, clapping, laughter... all sending a message.
This is fun! This is life! This is where it's at!
It's the circus.
People with faces made of plastic,
Faces that seem to smile,
But only because of paint,
And not because of heart.
They do it for their guests,
They must draw them in,
And they must keep them coming back.
It's the circus.
But let me not get ahead of myself,
For there is much more to this place,
Than just the clowns with their masks.
There are dancers who sway back and forth,
Lulling spectators into a sense of calm.
Acrobats who walk a thin line,
Saying, "You can do it just like me!
It's not hard, and you don't need any help!"
And the music... the music!
Such a key element to the circus.
It's like the oil that makes a machine run,
The wind that makes the windmills turn.
It captivates each guests' mind.
Filling it with euphoria and abandon.
And blinding them to the real story.
What is the real story?
It takes place when all the guests are gone.
The clowns all breath a sigh of relief,
Winding down like a wind up toys.
The masks come off, the dancers stop,
The acrobat falls, the music comes to a stop,
And the lights... the colors go dim.
What is left is nothing, nothing at all.
Just a facade...
For under the masks of the clowns are real faces.
Faces that frown.
And the lights are not real,
But can be turned off with a switch.
When the dancers stop, so does the "peace".
The circus is like one large magician.
It fakes reality,
By creating an illusion.
But my heart goes out to the guests,
Who tell their friends what reality is:
They say with excitement in their eyes.
"It's the circus."

Choose Life

Just a whisper through the trees,
The leaves dance to the tune of the breeze.
Just a candle through the night,
The darkness hides from the light.
Just one word spoken with malice,
And the heart can form a callous.
Just a thought in the mind of a child,
Forms a dream so big and wild.
But with just a small taste of "reality",
It can shrivel up and die in totality.
Small things, little things.
So many times considered unimportant,
But whether given with medicine or poison
They're always potent.
One moment can be the difference between...
Light or dark,
Good or bad,
Heaven or hell,
Life or death.

"I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I will call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life!"
                                                                                                                 Deuteronomy 30:19