Tatters

Life used to be so glorious for me when no one feared or scorned me. Children flocked to circuses and parties just to see my great performances. This clown’s life rocked! The world has changed, but I’ve maintained my style. I ride my red tricycle, juggle balls, and do my slapstick tricks that once brought smiles. Laughs followed my outlandish, well-staged falls. Kids who adored me once are terrified. They’ve been exposed to movies that portray us clowns as wickedness personified. I’m grieved by tales that keep the kids away. I can’t compete with kids’ hand-held devices. The few times I’ve performed in recent years, it’s been painfully clear that what entices the young is phones and games. I earn no cheers. Add to the kids that fear me and the ones that won’t watch me and can’t put down their phones— the ones whose parents favor spending tons of dough on birthday trips; some take out loans! My life is now bereft of much that matters to clowns. My very being lies in tatters. January 6, 2023 Tatters Poetry Contest Sponsor: Mystic Rose Rose