Where’s the gravy train I rode
In those days of waggy tails
With no thoughts of getting old
And no precious aim to chase
I can’t recognize the wreck
Whose each morning’s waking up
Counts as luckiest comeback
But it’s me with coffee cup
Course I had that vague idea
What those better days acquire
Mary Hopkin puts it clear
There’s no point to join the choir
Days of pleasure, wine and smoke
Days of roses, lovers lanes
All has gone beyond the joke
Though the joker still remains.
Worst verse
The Circular Tyrant Above My Bed
The circular tyrant above my bed,
Ticks from dawn till I wish I was dead.
The clock laughs like a joker on the wall,
I can’t get rid of this clumsy fellow at all.
Hammer of time, smashing my dreams flat,
Pressure cooker tick-tock, imagine that!
Effervescent minutes, transcendental shock,
Turn my pizza dreams to wall clock block.
Chili sauce thoughts drip down the wall,
Why did some genius invent this thing at all?
It runs like a marathon, no rest, no pause,
My sleep is murdered, give applause, applause!
The husband decided
To take a stand
Assert his rights
Make his demand
Thought he was holding
All the cards in his hand
Now he realizes
Things did not go as planned
His brain and his mouth
Left his heart unmanned
Anger and bitterness
Quite eloquently spoke
The heart left with no defense
Naturally got broke
The wife watches quietly
As not once she spoke
For none of this madness
Did she evoke
What a cruel.. cruel joke
Mess with her head
Breakup a marriage instead
Joker~vs~Jester
Throw in the towel enough said
Social critic, Gershon Wolf
has been known to joke and spoof
But at a meeting of TV execs today, he was dead serious
And here’s what he told them – if you’re curious
Where is wholesome TV programming today
or something vaguely familiar anyway
We need family shows like ‘Andy of Mayberry’
where everyone teases and tortures ‘Poor Deputy Barney’
Or ‘Leave it to Beaver’ where Eddie Haskell steals every show
Kissing up to Ward and June, a sickeningly polite fellow
And how about ‘the Three Stooges,’ where real culture
is assaulted by three execrable humanoid vultures
Now, I hear one of you is bringing back ‘You Bet Your Life’
a show about a mean man’s negative outlook on life
Anyone game for Nazified fare like ‘Hogan’s Heroes’
or totally inept and stupid, ‘like Archie Bunker’s Zeroes’
Can't wait for the new 'Re-run Season'
Featuring Pee Wee Herman and Lassie! ~ 'tis bound to be pleasin'
With the cards
you’re dealt
you play
your hand
To shock
the dealer
of fate’s
— command
(Dreamsleep: November, 2025)
JOKER-Man
"Bird* Fly High
By The Light Of
The Moon."
I Hope That Isn't A Metaphor For:
Baskets And Baskets Of Squirrels
Just Waiting Waiting For
Random Chance To Speak
In All It's Surreal...
Pain? Longing? Loneliness?
Plain & Loud.
***
I Can't Even Tell
If They Like It.
(Probably.)
***
*I Can't Even Tell
Who's Bird That Is,
Actually.
***
I Don't Even Know
It Has NOTHING
To Do With ME!
***
I Wouldn't Even Know
Who You Were
Even IF
You Were Me.
***
Sorry - "BAWK BAWK!"
In All Those
Empty Egg Shells.
-Gray Squirrel
05-22-2025
In the halcyon hush of twilight meadows,
a clown carves laughter from hydrangea elixir,
his smile — a fuchsia epitaph,
hidden behind a dazzling white glow.
Sparkling countless orbs drift from his broken pockets,
ghosts grow wishes in splotchy shade,
each sangria song he sings
splinters against the opalescent primrose sky.
Serendipitously, sorrow stitches his grin —
a mystical black ballet performed
for an audience of lustrous fireflies.
Coral summer nights smell wonderful to others,
but he drifts alone in purple dreams,
his burgundy luna heart heavy with
psychedelic echoes of forgotten cheers.
Spree silvery jewels tumble down his cheeks —
not laughter, but
the silent fabric of darkness knit with marvel,
where every jest
hides another tear.
More can’t piddle with their piddler
Nor can fiddle with their fiddler
Age removes more than a little
Rage just leads to the hospital
Life gives us many fits and starts
Strife’s left once we lose bits and parts
If there’s less poke in your poker
Riff out some jokes from your joker
For the 8x8x8x8 contest
Life's a deck of cards, fate’s unsteady hand,
And I hold the joker, at life's command.
For every joy, a shadow falls,
A dance of highs, and sudden stalls.
One moment I'm laughing, a heart full of glee,
Next, I'm crying, despair captures me.
Happiness fleeting, sadness its twin,
A battle within, where to begin?
Depression’s grip, a slowing tide,
Time crawls, and shadows hide.
In my mind, it digs so deep,
Thoughts entwined, no restful sleep.
Would life be easier if I were gone?
An empty void where memories drawn.
How can they love, when inside I'm lost,
A shipwreck in waiting, not yet tossed?
I see their smiles, their endless grace,
My kids, step-kids, partner’s embrace.
Why do I deserve their light and love?
They're the stars, the moon above.
They keep my heart ticking, steady and true,
But I fear my shadows dampen their view.
I wish I were well, to run, to play,
To laugh with them, in a carefree way.
So here I stand, the joker in hand,
Balancing life on shifting sand.
But know this, my love holds strong,
For them, I fight, where I belong.
Jester The Joker juggled bottles
decorated with the reddest flame.
Three jars spun jiggling in the air
jars four and five he held with care.
Letting go of the ones in his hands
he caught the next two on command.
Jester The Joker juggled bottles
decorated with the sky light blue
but, out of one jumped Winnie the Poo.
Then Winnie the Poo tried to juggle
the bottles with the reddest flame,
but, he fell in a pot of honey
and that ended the juggling game.
You've eight fingers, two thumbs, like most folk
~ I've got ten thumbs, what a joke
In highschool the class clown's name was Seth
Made some laugh and bored others to death
It wasn't a rumor
His good sense of humor
Couldn't hide a slight case of bad breath
I had heard of a poker face, haven’t you?
But this was the first time, the first time true
That I heard of a joker face in blue
It happened when I visited my cousin Sue
She took out the face and said, ‘what do I do?”
This joker face has gotten me in trouble, Lou.
I had no words. The face laughed at her too.
We decided to drown it in the loo.
Joker with a twist carried stuff all over town
Your load is too heavy one said, put some down
But he was used to helping everyone in every kind of way
It makes life interesting, and keeps me excited every day
We were learning to play bridge, and it was okay I guess.
I always outbid everyone at the table including sister Tess.
Mom and Dad took one each of us, “you get that twin.”
We always took them down, rarely would we win.
One day when the rest of them were away from the table
Sassy joker jumped into my lap and said “I shall call you Mable”.
The glint in his eye said “Let’s be a couple, you little minx!”
I was so shocked, I threw him under the couch cushion, pink.
Where is the joker? Asked Mom as she put the cards away.
I professed not to know, but picked him up the very next day.
Let me sleep under your pillow tonight, the saucy joker said.
I was horrified, but thrilled too, as I took him to my bed.
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