A Jester’s Vacation
by Queen Karah
Like a jester wiping off her mask
It ends
The jokes end
The dancing
The laughing
The standing in the sun
Instead her bed becomes her home
And she’s roommates with loneliness
It’s all a waiting game
For the cycle to come full circle
But for now she keeps herself in the dark
because darkness holds her tight
so tight she can barely breathe
but it holds her nonetheless
And when the light comes back
So does she
She puts the curly shoes back on
And bell hat
And you can hear her laugh
And it feels good to laugh again
Even though it never lasts
Karah Paddock is nineteen. She is proud graduate from Stivers School for the arts and
local spoken word poet in the Downtown Dayton Area. She uses poetry as a form of identity and expression as it relates to human rights. She is a library worker and is very passionate about the importance of public services.