He kept smiling from ear to ear. His bright colourful clothes, outsized shoes which kept tripping him over and his clumsiness, exaggerated windmilling of arms and legs as he kept flopping down didn’t fail to generate ripples of laughter from all around.
The Joker in the ‘Big Top’- the children adored him and the adults couldn’t help laughing. It was unimaginable what he would do next! Line up with the performing men and women ,cycle seated back to front, or Hang down from the Trapeze and then inadvertently miss the trapeze and fall freely down, while everyone watched with bated breath, the tension released only when he would get up from the net and bounce a couple of times, doffing his silly hat.
Ha ha ha ha! Such relief, he was fine.
Always generating laughter. Sick children, small children, big ones and not so big ones all would burst out laughing at his antics. And the adults? They were no less tickled. What a whale of a time everyone had. Forgetting their troubles and sorrows, their worries and deadlines, enraptured by the goofiness. The Joker masked all reality as he gathered everyone’s attention from their battles and sorrows, as he gently drowned them in ‘mirth’.
Ha!Ha!Ha!
Hee! Hee! Hee!
Tee hee! Tee hee!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
As the show ended, everyone took a bow; the ladies in their glittering emerald, turquoise, magenta dresses and bright make up, the men – strong and muscular – in bright attire and pancake on their handsome faces, along stood the Joker clothed in the brightest smile of all!
Applause resounded! Clap, clap, clap,…
The Big Top was soon empty. A scrawny little boy slowly peeked in and came running up to the Joker. Hugging him tight, as he clung around his knees, he cried, “ Dad hurry, Mum has fallen again! We need to take her to the Hospital right away!”
He dashed out as fast as he could, wiping his eyes discreetly, keeping his emotions well masked. While the little boy did his best to keep up the pace, tears rolled freely down his cheeks, he was a novice at masking his emotions!
The emotions of a Joker were first understood by the great Raj Kapoor.
You have created an image full of pathos for the joker once again.
Well penned Anamika.