Smile

He fell down. Hit hard on the floor. There was dead silence. Suddenly, he sprang up and there was a wave of laughter. They laughed until tears rolled down their eyes, seeing him waving his hands, dancing up and down making faces. But no one cared, no one looked into his eyes, none noticed his feelings. How could they, he was under the mask, hiding from the world wearing makeup as white as peace, and upon that was a huge red smile. A smile which camouflaged his tears, his fear, anger, envy, sorrows. What the world knew was just his smile, a colossal smile. He was The Joker.

There was a line stretching till the horizon for the entry to his court. They wanted to see him falling with a smile, getting hurt with a smile, and without any remorse, resiling that same huge smile. Why do they do so? Why do they act like this? Don’t they see his scars, his agony ? Why don’t they realize that he is in pain? for he has fallen so hard! Why don’t they think how will he get up? He has lost, descended, broken down, and yet we sit there still, watching the show, waiting for the Jester to rise up again and to look upon his smile, A Smile that makes us Smile.

But we are ignorant about the part beyond that mask; we ignore that face which has worries. Worries of his parents, his sister, small brother,  he hasn’t dressed by his wish since weeks. The distress in his mind is about getting the meal for the night, for his stomach was churning with all these questions since days. If he will not Smile on his Failures, if he sits caressing these wounds the source to those answers will be lost, this was his Greatest fear.  We never know what’s’ beneath that white face with Huge Smile.

“But why do I care? Yes! I have enough of my worries. I came here to see you fall and then when you get up again, still smiling I will laugh at you, that’s’ why I came here.  You are my Mirror and I am laughing at Myself.” We all are Jokers, nowadays. If we deny being so, no one cares, because the post never remains vacant.

We act, disguise, put a smile on that weary face, open the door to the society and face it, masked. We are trained in the factory of Professionalism to walk ‘with Smile’, talk ‘with Smile’, fall on face ‘with Smile’ and then again get up without delay ‘with Smile’ and resume ‘with Smile’!. There is no space for “ I think…”, “ I want…”, “ I feel…”. And if you think you want, you feel, you are out of the system. We all are Jokers and if not, then Fools.

Fools do what they want; they are free, free from their habits, emotions, feelings and are happy from the bottom of their hearts. Fools behave as their mind pleases, and are far away from this system, they smile only when they want, they can cry, remorse for things, be happy about their moments, get sad on occasions, can take leave and set a camp, can see dreams and chase them. In this society bound by rules, when you break the rules you are punished for being a Fool.

Some dare and choose to be Fools and then these fools become the rulers, in the Society of Jokers. The way towards their dreamland is built by Jokers. This distinguishes the boss and the employee. And the world goes on with the Smile ruled by Smile, one being Crimson smile with shade as deep as blood, one belonging to the Mask and the other, eternal and pure, belonging to the Face.

                                                                                                                                                      -Rutuja Patil