Clown

I knew a man, a jokester, who-- full of himself--had not a clue of how to have some fun without annoying people. Then he'd pout when others wouldn't speak to him. His outlook was quite gray and grim, but soon he would dismiss his frown. His life-long need to play the clown, just like a cartoon character, caused him to rise and make a stir. His storehouse of annoying shtick was full of (he thought) perfect picks. When friends and loved ones were depressed, the jokester was at once obsessed with entertaining these sad folks; he rattled off cliché-filled jokes. Still sad, they simply looked away without a word, to his dismay. His older sister lost her job of many years. He heard her sob about her stack of past-due bills. What he did next still gives me chills. Instead of helping with her debts, he talked about their childhood pets, presuming she would lighten up, but stories of their favorite pup gave her no joy. To his surprise, he got from her just weary sighs! His lack of sensitivity and narcissistic need to be the center of attention caused his mouth to open without pause and utter words that helped no one. A corny joke and silly pun possess no power to dismiss an all-encompassing abyss. Date: March 5, 2020 Contest Title: Clown at the Abyss Sponsor: Kai Michael Neumann