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

angsthurtselfrhyme

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