“The Ringmaster’s hunger”
How long has it been since the curtain fell?
Now all you can hear is the big, yellow bell.
And people clapping, saying you did well.
But inside your heart, you still continue the play.
My face full of make-up, but my eyes and lips swollen.
The scene is unsettling, the dirt getting older.
The windows are closed, so why is it colder?
Tell me, dear Ringmaster. I know you're getting bolder.
Our siblings are crying, can you see them now?
They're begging for your attention, it's getting passed around.
I'm trying to lick your boots, to fit in the crowd.
You noticed me finally, but there's no love in your eyes.
Why, oh just why?! Am I just a clown?!
Am I just a trophy?! Made to stand and shine?!
Do you care in the slightest?! That I cry at night?!
You never comfort me. Repeating “get a life!
Why do you bother me so much?!
Whatever’s on your mind, I don't care!
So leave me alone, even if you're in despair.
Who said I'm the one who should lend a hand?
You only come to me when your eyes are wet.”
But that's so unfair…
You never care…
I'm sitting alone in my big, old room.
My friends? Those are my plushies and a weird old broom.
I can feel the bugs crawling in my womb.
Now that's just weird. I never ate you two!
But the Ringmaster's getting closer… I can hear his steps.
Soon enough he'll show me my brand new friends.
New circus recruits, we'll all hold hands.
And beg for better, brighter days.
27.05.2026r
Points:
Time spent:
Canary word: Present
Possible AI signals:
Original Text:
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? This cannot be undone.
Mark this comment as a review? Points will be awarded to the poster.
Your comment was posted, but it wasn’t long enough to count as a review. Reviews need about four complete sentences (at least 250 characters). Try writing another review that explains your thoughts in more detail — the author will appreciate it, and you’ll earn points for it.
130,339 Literary Works • 671,513 Reviews
This is incredible I love how at first the person was desperate for their attention but finally realized they would get nothing in return this is a nice mix between rejection and toxic relationship not romantic way but like in way in a general way just toxic environment this is The vibes it's giving me and this is amazing
Aw thank you so much!!
Hello,
It has been a while since I wrote a review, so excuse me if I am a bit rusty.
First off, I really like the flow of this poem, especially the first part. Up until l. 16 "... Repeating “get a life!", I was really gripped by the poem's rhythm. In the second half, I wasn't as gripped by the rhythm, and it felt tougher to read, which may be intended, seeing as the subject matter is quite heavy.
There are some minor things I would change to make it flow a little better in places, for example, l.11 I would change to to into "it's getting passed around ... like to fit into the crowd." But that is more nitpicking and would probably solve itself if the poem were looked over one or two more times.
Now to the literary part, I really like the imagery you use here. The circus, in my reading, is the performance this group puts on for the outside world. Everyone claps and cheers, but when the curtains fall, we get to know that even in "private", the main character still has to perform a role.
This estrangement from people who are supposed to be close to you is something that is packed in really well in just the first four lines, kudos!
That feeling is then driven deeper in the next stanza, talking about make-up covering swollen eyes and lips, alluding to abuse. The standout line for me here, however, is l.7 the "The windows are closed, so why is it colder?" This speaks to the stereotype of the "warm home", something the main character clearly lacks, but by framing it as a question, it also shows us that they have a longing for things to be different. They are not resigned yet, making the previous and following lines more tragic.
I will admit that l.9 threw me for a bit of a loop, I read the ringmaster as a sort of parental figure. But here the line says "Our siblings", implying the ringmaster to be one of the many siblings.
I think l.25 also serves to further show the loneliness and estrangement of the speaker. Showing us they have no friends either, so they have no alternative to this dysfunctional family.
The next two lines confuse me somewhat. I would read it as the speaker abandoning her womb; bugs crawling somewhere is often a sign of neglect. A womb is the instrument to bring new family into this world, and they no longer wish to do so? I would love an explanation of the symbolism in this part.
The final stanza is also somewhat confusing to me. I read the circus as family, as you wrote about siblings before. Now the new recruits are friends? Which I also think is a bit jarring, as the previous stanza explicitly mentions the speaker not having any friends.
The ending, I think, is very fitting with the tragic tone of the poem. The speaker has spent the poem begging for the love and affection of the ringmaster, and this shows that it is not an issue only the speaker faces but rather a systematic one everyone in that circus shares.
Generally, I really like the circus imagery, opposing the bright and colourful, almost dazzling outside image with the cold, bleak inside of the dysfunctional family dynamics. Many people who suffer from abuse inside a family can surely relate to this, that while the outside presentation might be fun and idyllic, it is essentially all just an act.
This poem grabbed me with its really strong start and made me want to think about it and review it, but I think it starts to weaken a little bit in the second half. Maybe my reading is also just wrong, and art is, of course, subjective. I would personally look at the second half again when I feel up to it and bring it more in line with the really strong first half. You have certainly created a piece of art and have a gift for strong imagery; keep writing!
Hello! And thank you for your review! Now let me explain some stuff. First I need to mention that my poems are not really well flowing with rhythm, cause english is not my first language and it's still hard for me to think of something that flows naturally!
Now, I said 'our siblings' not as talking about the lyrical subject's and Ringmaster's siblings, more more like as the lyrical subject speaks for more people who are also feeling abandoned, betrayed. The Ringmaster can be anyone tho! A parent, an authority, a sibling, a partner. He sybmolises abuse, not a person.
I said:
Honestly only to add that disturbing taste. There are hardly any bugs in wombs, so it may suggest that the lyrical subject is losing their mind.
I also switched from siblings to friends, cause tho recruits are new. They can't be spoken of as family yet of course. The lyrical subject can't trust them yet. And yes, the lyrical subjects says they have no friends. Cause they feel alone. Yet, the Ringmaster tries to force them and the rest of the circus members into having friends. You know, when you are a child and you feel alone, as if you had no friends but you need to call some people, for example from school, as 'friends' to satisfy your parents? It's the same here.
And thank you so much for saying I have a gift for strong imaginary! That made me so happy! I will continue writing and I'll soon get better at it, that's a promise! ^^
Thanks for the quick reply,
Maybe my interpretation was a bit too rigid then. I still think you should clarify the "our siblings" line in the poem like you did here, as it reads to me as if it were addressed to the ringmaster rather than the reader. Since the line before that starts with "Tell me, dear Ringmaster".
I will certainly look forward to reading some of your other and especially your next works!
Thank you so much!