With outsized shoes, cartoonish nose,
exaggerated gloves and pants,
he prances, dances, stumbles, flips,
performing silly slapstick tricks,
then toots a horn to tease the crowd.
He somehow gets the sternest face
to lapse a bit, give into grin,
because he's now the wiser fool
experienced with humor's cues
and recognizes he can curve
their tensions into some relief
like bent balloons to airy toys
and briefly help the crowd escape
the crush of life so rushed and grave.