Tater-Tots Sonata – Movement II (Festival of the Clowns)

 

Part I:

Once upon a springtime,

It was the festival of the clowns.

One clown two clown

Red clown blue clown 

Colourful clown!

A sea of clowns

                 coated in animal skin 

(What a thrill!)

But who’s the biggest

Clown of them all?

 

In the distance,

the spring leaves chanted: 

 

“Clown fest, fun fest,

 

In the countryside they 

 

Play.

 

Red, blue and the colourful –

 

All were led astray.”

 

Regarde! The clown parade:

 

Saffron the anteater

 

Standing two feet tall.

 

Linda the lizard 

 

          on a wall!

 

Asteroid the Hummingbird

 

Without a sound.

 

Sierra the serpent

 

On the ground!

 

Casper the Lion

 

In the field:

 

Such is the team

 

Revealed.

 

The animals held a disdainful

look: “Saffron the Anteater is 

not ours to take! He’s sly and immoral.”

Casper stood firm: “Give him a chance!

The wretched 

also have

a good heart!

Who are we to judge?”

 

Part II: 

“Clown fest, fun fest,

In the countryside they 

play.

Red, blue and the colourful –

All were led astray!”

 

Saffron the anteater

Scheming nose:

“I will be the biggest clown 

Of them all!”

(His

biggest ambition was 

to grow tall. Alas he was really small.)

 

In the wind, there was a soft whisper:

Saffron the anteater thought to conspire.

‘I’ll tell you the lowliest

Trick to make you all-powerful.

Come a little closer

Lean in (écoute) :

 

“the stars in the sky 

Are all untouchable.

ones that

Take from the sky really 

Are abominable,

But those who try –

With a very 

small spoonful of poison –

Obtain the invincible.

So what are you waiting for?

Take from the sky!

Poison the lion and take his might!”’

 

Comes dawn,

The lion sleeps.

Saffron the anteater 

chokes and rocks.

Casper turned and 

Stared into Saffron’s 

Soul

Blacked and racked.

The poison 

Grew and grew

All over Casper’s body.

(The worst kind

Of poison.)

“Saffron the 

Anteater, my old old friend?”

 

There was no response.

 

Clown fest, fun fest,

The lion is dead.

How jolly the occasion –

Time to celebrate!

Put on the clown costume 

And now I’m the king!

All cheered for Saffron the anteater! 

(For he was now the biggest clown.)

 

“Clownery, funnery. 

Let’s go

For a ride! The lion is no more

I took his might!”

 

“I am a tall animal!

Taller than a giraffe,

And a giraffe is not even

That tall because I am taller

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH”,

laughed Saffron the Anteater.

(He was evil after all.)

 

The sky glowed

in the midst of spring,

Songs of birds on

The branches

where they sing:

“To take from the stars

Is to be cursed.”

 

Saffron the anteater

Withered in the sun:

“Help, help,

it was the poison 

That ruined the fun!”

 

how petty the creature 

riddled with insecurity

drowned in his ego

marked for eternity.

Come autumntime,

The circus was no more.

 

Come winter, no bird sings.

 

Casper’s body decayed,

And slowly 

Maggots crawled out

Of his skeleton.

All abandoned Casper the lion,

(He was dead, there was

No reason to sing).

 

Springtime is go-time,

it comes again.

 

Out in the distance,

Another call.

Where was the animal 

That once stood tall?

Chanting in unison,

The birds sing a familiar 

Refrain:

“Clown fest, fun fest,

In the countryside they 

play.

Red, blue and

The colourful

We are here to stay.”

 

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