he is tired and fat
bored of the high-wire act
but still he must perform
and like an elephant
he fears most the bull-hook
in the backroom
he transforms himself
with pore-clogging greasepaint
(an occupational hazard)
he smears it thick around the lips
fake smile taking shape
wistful for the old days
he remembers cities
from Baghdad to Baraboo
when there used to be honour
in the hierarchy of clowns
every circus needed a ringleader
but now the profession
is dominated
by a bunch of bozos
he feels his age in the bruises
the aching joints
he knows the act has grown stale
he no longer expects applause
the little kids scream
bigger ones throw peanuts
but the show must go on
he laces up his oversized shoes
puts on his big red nose
the polka-dot bowtie
he blames the media
Stephen King’s Pennywise
and John Wayne Gacy
he never meant
to scare anyone’s children
J. Archer Avary (he/him) is a former TV weatherman and founder of Sledgehammer Lit. His debut novella ‘The Dog Sitter’ is forthcoming in July via Daily Drunk Press. He lives on a tiny island in the English Channel with his wife, and has been told he makes a mean chili. Twitter: @j_archer_avary
Punk Noir Magazine 
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