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North West Bylines
Home Lifestyle

Big Top Boogie

Let the unfunny clown tell you how to boogie in the circus he created

Diana Ward by Diana Ward
11-05-2025 07:06
in Lifestyle
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
clown stands with one foot in the bucket, and the clown’s face is suspiciously orange and old

Drawn by Stan

Share on Bluesky
Roll up, Roll up
It’s circus time
Looking to be fired?
Well, just stand right here in line
We got firings, we got hirings
Well, no, that last was just a joke
We only hire the very best
Provided you’re a bloke
And provided, obviously,
You’re good at genuflection
Given that we absolutely
Demand no introspection
No questions either, thank you kindly
We’ll let you know what you should think,
And what to read, and eat, and drink
No vaccinations – you just won’t need ‘em
Now you’re anointed with our brand of freedom
Watch our amazing chainsaw jugglers
Shredding departments in one fell swoop
The ‘Amazing Musk-eteer’
De facto leader of the group
And now that he is stepping down
We have another opening
For one more unfunny clown
Watch the magic and the mayhem
As we sprinkle pixie dust
Changing fact to fiction and truth to lies
You’ll soon believe what’s not before your eyes
Watch as sections of the audience
Just simply disappear
A sleight of hand so breathtaking
It becomes abundantly clear
We’ll say who comes
And who cannot
This circus, after all,
Is not for all
So come on down
And take your seat
The show’s just starting
Join in the fun
And when all is said and done
We’ll tell you when to laugh
And how loud to cheer
For the more you show you want us
Then the less you have to fear
Be assured, now that you’ve paid
We are never, ever going away
This is your circus now
Yellow-red clouds gathering in the sky
Climate Change

Climate Change 2.0

by Diana Ward
25 February 2025 - Updated on 4 March 2026
    Superb piece.  It deserves a coffee…

Tags: poetry
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Diana Ward

Diana Ward

DM Ward came to writing late in life and is making up for lost time now by putting pen to paper at every available opportunity. Having returned to the UK in 2023 after living in the US for nearly 30 years, I’m just an old broad from the Old Country, born and raised in England – children now grown, recently retired from my fourth ‘career’ and spending as much time as possible on the creative life. What lies within intrigues me, how it manifests excites and bewilders me. We live in such a frenzy of instant information, tied to constant interaction while yearning for simplicity. Utterly connected and disconnected all at the same time. Take time out for art. That way lies sanity, joy, peace of mind. Follow Diana on BlueSky

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