SAD CLOWN

Torquay Summer 2023

Summer Twenty-Twenty Three is big
So many people
Parked cars wilting
Scorching hot, glinting windscreens
Towels, chairs and boogie boards
Dogs and Eskies

Not many hats
UV Index is Extreme

Bikinis are tiny
G-Strings miniscule
Abundance of flesh
Bottoms bouncing
Supremely confident

Acceptable on the beach
Not necessarily sensible
For walking down the street

For self respect
Your dignity
Respect for others

Cover Up!

A flimsy beach dress
A sarong, a big t’shirt
Anything

Cover Up!

A bigger risk
Is deadly Melanoma

Inside – Outside (Acknowledging author Robert Crais, and his character Joe Pike in “The Watchman“)

Do my eyes tell…
Tell you I’m fine
Bely my angst
Or glacial calm

Does my face tell
Or not show a thing?
My face the world sees,
Is it my camouflage?

Confident and bold
Can’t hurt me!
Do my butterflies agree?
Does my heart race?

Mask strong as fiberglass
Only if my inside person is
Holding it all
Together

If the inside person
Breaks, the outside person
Dissolves. Crumbles. Is lost.
Only the original person remains.

What holds the outside person
Together?
What strength
And courage is needed?

What loosens the hold
Weakens the grasp
Showing the original person
Inside, vulnerable

The trick is to reach a place
Where the inside person
And the outside person
Are the same.

The closer we are
The stronger we become.

Is my inside person
In a fortress
Impregnable?

Will my inside person
Be strong?

Is my original-inside person
Afraid or content
Still a child
Or all grown up?

Optional Tax

He’s back, or she’s back
The Speed Trapper
Parked outside
Walking past with our dogs
We smile towards the dark windows

They’re often there
Parked surreptitiously
First bay in the long parking strip
Waiting for speeding cars
Nabbing the law breakers

Angry drivers hoot and yell
Leaning out their car windows
We hear them clearly
How dare they?
They’re only doing their job

At least they are working
Not getting the dole
Not bludging off tax-payers
Doing a difficult job
Being abused

I wouldn’t want to sit,
Sit in a hot car for hours,
And hours on end
Don’t Approach The Car
Says the little yellow sticker

Don’t speed.
Drive safely.
It’s an optional tax.

Your choice.

Nightmares
A Golden Shovel using the song Rainbow Demon by British rock band Uriah Heep

Lovers sleeping there
Swirling current rides
Winds crossing the
Skies, leaving a Rainbow
In his heart's a Demon
A demon feeding on
Nightmares of his
Past. Chasing a galloping horse.
Soothing, calming thoughts of
Painting the skies crimson
Fills his heart with fire
Fighting nightmares. Black,
Hiding in shadows
She’s woken, bleary. Arms are
Hugging him tightly following
Screams. Soothing, calming, holding closely
Bringing him back. On
The bed, into the
Present. Massaging heels,
Whispering. Sounds of
Sweet murmurings in his
Ears fill his heart with desire.

Sad Clown

Extremely bright
Sensitive. So kind
Young lad
Eager to learn
Very different from his sister

Boarding school
Bullied in class
Bullied on the rugby pitch
Bullied in the dormitory
Beaten by vicious teachers

Six of the best
Capital punishment gone wrong
Great mind
Floundering and succeeding
Hopeless teachers

Found humour
Best self-defence
Awesome “Dad jokes”
Wonderful puns
Quirky, left-field thoughts

Incredible insight
Out of the box
Completely different angle
Kooky combinations

Loves Escher
Generous
Considerate
Loyal
Always puts others first
Always so thoughtful

Not appreciated
Hates shouting.
Being criticised and blamed
Not respected
Under valued

Immensely logical
Smart
Streetwise
Sees consequences
Way before anyone else

Always protecting
Safety first
Others before him
Fragile eggshell
His heart’s inside, pounding.

Pounding.
Desperately hoping
It won’t break
Laughing loud
Laughing often

My gorgeous, lovable
Sad clown

Julia Vaughan moved to Australia with her husband in 1989, and began writing poetry after attending inspiring Victorian U3A Surf Coast “I just don’t get poetry” classes. Now having poems dotted sparsely across the internet, she dreams of becoming an accomplished poet. When not dreaming, she can be found walking on the beach with her husband and two Vizsla dogs. Julia’s poems have appeared in :- Otoliths (Nov 2021 and Sep 2022), Melbourne Culture Corner (Nov 2021), Writing In A Woman’s Voice (Feb 2022), Mad Swirl (Feb 2022 and Jul 2022), Academy of the Heart and Mind (Jul 2022 and Mar 2023), Ariel Chart (Jun and Jul 2022), Bluepepper (Jul 2022), Lothlorien (Jul 2022)