And one last, having to do with--
I was down at New College in Florida.
The Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown School
was across the way.
I was curious about the clowns.
This is a "Speech to the Student Clowns
at the Circus Clown School at Sarasota, Florida."
"You innocents who want to play the clown
should be wounded combat veterans first.
You have to get the gut feeling, how when
the fallen gladiator with a face white in shock
with two red spots of panic on his cheekbones,
and his eyes animal with black grief,
got the sign thumbs down from the emperor.
A bloody clown stripped off his face,
put it on, and danced around the ring with a slapstick sword
to tickle a crowd as the corpse was dragged off by the heels.
This went on for centuries until you took up the mask
and made it sad, or worse, giggled and made it sweet.
What happened?
When serious art dies in its wisdom, in American innocence,
even the bloody old farce of death dies.
Art must be ugly or lovely, or both
to be beautiful, but not nice.
Terrible in it's pitiful humor, but not cute.
Go ask the nasty children about this some night
before they're put to sleep.
They clown around with the fiends."