Where have all the clowns gone
And the jugglers too.
I only walked down to the river
To sail a little paper boat
And when I returned
The picnic had been changed.

There were different people there
And no one knew my name
Or who told all the clowns to leave.
I found my brother and a friend
But they were both too sad to talk
Or tell me why the flowers died
And who ate all the chicken.

Too early for the fireworks show
There would be no sack races.
We waited for a three leg’d race
And learned the term was incorrect
And marked us as not truly woke.

The carousel began to move
And we lined up to take a ride
But it began to spin so fast
That no one could get on it.
The horses were all painted black
And lacking any sparkles.

Without the clowns and jugglers
The picnic was a total bust
And I felt it was time to go
But when I headed for the gate
It wasn’t where it used to be
And no one knew its whereabouts
So I’ve been wandering ever since
With no way to go home.
             ljm