TONIGHT!

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by Dalton LeV

E

BIG TOPPLE!

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...have a laugh with the clown named Hee HaHoo!

So bellowed the ringleader with bravado to introduce the circus each show

Every evening, the same event,the same words uttered, the same efforts spent

With bravery and brawn, skill and savvy to spare, every act was a marvel no one dared to compare

When the performers were throughand all the oohs and ahhs were cooed

Hee HaHoo tarried with tricks until laughter ensued

When a face is painted bright with a smiletrue feelings are hidden and forgotten after while No one looks happier than a clown in routine though how Hee really felt remained unseenHe was sad that clowns received only laughs, chuckles, and guffawswith his hard work, he wanted nothing more than applause

Routinely each evening Hee HaHoo dolled his face and donned his nose

Stretched his balloons and watered his squirt rose Arose from his chair to perform his chore

every uproar the same as it was the night before

Afterwards the Big Top was droppedand post hastily

packed All aboard! On to the next town! the conductor

would cryand the circus train chugga-chooed

down the tracks

But one night...

Look at those bright lights!

Instead of arriving at some similar town A large lively city the circus had found

A clamor crept up among the circus crewfor larger cities meant larger crowds, this the largest they knew

The clown stood vexed; this large crowd was sure

to give the largest laughs yet

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The Big Top swelled, almost tearing a stitch

The seats were filled and the

ringleader commenced

his pitch

“Ladies and Gentlemen...”

The firebreather scorched into the spotlight to offer the first entertainment of the night

His usual act could heat up a crowd From the tip of his torch a flame he devoured

and like a chimney exhaled a flame mighty immense Brightening wonder on the faces of the audience

So he presented a torchthat made matchsticks of the restWith one big gulpthe flame was engulfed

This performance, however, he wanted to steal the crowd’s breath

This chomp, though, was more than he could chew

For from his mouth, nose, and earsflames began to spew

Was not long before his head was aglow what seemed to be good showwas entirely wrong Hee did knowIgnited to help a friend from woehe doused the firebreather with his rose and extinguished that hot head tip to toe

The firebreather's soggy spectacle ignited a fury of laughter

Cartwheeling in next the acrobats did careen

A trio of tricky tumblerswho could titillate as easy as one two three

They liked to twist and tumble through the circus sky though tonight they seemed to swing an extra mile

high

The reason for this was in this instance

the acrobats raised the trapeze and stretched its distance

Just as the suspense hit a new height the safety net was pulled

then tucked out of sightAs the crowd sat hushed with terror

intense the flyers stood silent in their confidence, eagerly awaiting their aerial

extravagance

The routine commenced precisely on cue, though one detail was not given its proper due They could swing on trapezes to heights unseen

but their stretch could not reach the new stretch between

As the three grasped for each others' grips, their trapeze-locked legs slowly slid then slipped Briefly they hung buoyant above the big top then one by one they quickly did drop

The crowd stood frozen though Hee did not stallHe zipped beneath the sinking act spreading his arms to halt their fall

As the acrobats landed one by one they were twisted and turned

and around Hee they spun The crowd was calmedat the unfolding scene

Their high flying flop flipped into a juggling routine

Laughter flew as thetumblers’ act plummeted

Ferocious fur a flyin,the lion tamer introduced the lion Or was it the other way around? Difficult to distinguish between

the fuzzy maned felineand the fuzzy faced man

As the act beganthe crowd could tell man from

animal once the tamer placed his head inside the lion’s mandibles

This time however,to keep the crowd on their

toes the tamer went into his mouth and came out his nose!

This unanticipated antic made the lion quite frantic With a roarthe king cat did soar up into a furyand chased the lion tamer's scurry

Despite the terror of razor tippedtooth and

claw the clown leapt to action to right the tamer's flaw

With a mammoth blow of breath he blew and he

knotteda balloon lion five times in

size as the one running chaotic

Then

like a bubble he pinned the lion’s

rubbery double

The bang burst the catoff of his pawsas he crooned out a long caterwaul

The tamer was struck stuck in his steps,

sheepishly wondering where the lion had leapt

pk tt

When suddenly...

ro i

A roar of laughter clenched down

around the lion and tamer’s timidity

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The hulking heavyweight known as The Strong Man overshadowed the crowd with muscles immense and astounding

befit to lift boulders, barbells, barrels abounding

But the burden of the circus was too much to bear

His knees began to buckle, his grip started to wear

Reacting quick without a tick to spare

beneath the tent Hee piled high whoopie cushions to catch

the routine gone awry

Once the circus did collide thewhoopies let cry...

Unabashed gas was passed then surpassed with laughs HEE HEE HEE HA HA HA HOO HOO HOO HEE HEE HEE HA HA HA HOO HOO HOO HEE HEE HEE HA HA HA

The audience shared asoft, assured sigh

as the last little titters started to subside

Hee sulkily slinked himselffrom the scene

Tensely resenting his impending routine

O

Hee HaHoo reapplied his smile and righted his noseloosened his balloons and fluffed his squirt

rose He waited for the ringleader to introduce...

!

As big clown shoes waddled into the spotlit glowHee HaHoo braced for the usual guffaws

But instead, this night, he found himself embraced with uproarious applause