"The Great Bazooka"

he was a clown once,
he used to thrust chairs
into the jaws of stuffed lions
and extract a flower,
walk the tightrope
fall.....
hang by his teeth
and raise his eyebrows at the crowd

but now he plays
solitary tricks with memories
in the gloom of his old caravan,
his costumes gather dust in the cupboard,
his faces fade in the drawer,
children press against his window
and stare at his empty mirror
their breath clouds the glass

meanwhile the circus prepares for the show

suddenly
the children scream and back away
the door explodes........
a strange figure emerges from the billowing smoke
resplendent in an enourmous striped swimsuit
complete with flying helmet, goggles and snorkel,
a large pink flipper tests imaginary water,
the great nose quivers and tilts to the sky
his arms raised high
he dives..........
and swims through the crowd,
and the children dance and cry:
"Bazooka's back!
Bazooka's back!
Bazooka's back!"