coulrophobians fear clowns
i know a dog terrified of scare-crows
he might also be coulrophobic

plants apparently respond to sound
some may wilt at the reverberation
of the word C-L-O-W-N
depending on the tone of course

nurseries might need warning signs
in case children call out in fear
there’s a clown

could that mean they cause delight
and disaster
like the one who made out
on his bosses desk
with the loudspeaker turned up
or the clown in the hot rod who cut us off

what about political clowns
who care more about keeping their jobs
than running the country

weirdly dressed people with fluro hair
piercings and tats
have been mistaken as part of a circus
is it only their intention that seals the deal

don’t get me wrong
i find these trendies interesting
some of us need to brush up on dress codes
for our own good

perhaps we could then goof around
without being called bozo

would this mean some outfits actually
encourage laughter or just draw a crowd

would wearing placards help
so that we don’t laugh at foolish mistakes
made by ordinary people

a clown carriage on trains may be useful
there’d be titillation around the stations
without fear of retribution

would all this fan-fare be too much for the serious
would their buttons be pressed to the limit with
misunderstandings and too much tomfoolery

encouraged whispers of
we’re only clowning
could be quite soothing
perhaps a homeopathic remedy for some