The Clown Loved Cherry Lipstick

Daniel G. Snethen

Bobo's mother was a circus tramp.

His father was some guy named John.

Bobo started juggling at age seven.

At six he had an orange giraffe tattoo

and routinely rolled his own smokes.

Bobo's mother wore bright red lipstick

and kissed him every morning and night.

Bobo loved his mother and the flavor

of her bright red cherry lipstick very much.

One evening Bobo was waiting for the taste

of cherry lipstick and his mother's wet kiss.

Bobo's mother was a circus whore.

Another John, not Bobo's dad, strangled her

rather than pay her the two bits she earned.

Bobo didn't run away to join the circus

he was already in the circus and the friendly

clowns took the poor orphan in and treated

him well, teaching him clownsmanship.

Bobo the happy clown was a sad clown.

He painted his smile on with cherry lipstick.

He kissed his mother's tattered picture religiously,

every night and every morning,

leaving a cherry flavored smudge.

Bobo never married, never had kids

and never smiled inside. Bobo made

others smile and laugh and feel love

with his painted on crimson smile of

his mother's cherry flavored lipstick.

One morning Bobo woke up,

dressed and kissed his mother's photograph.

There was no cherry flavored smudge.

Bobo had used up his mother's lipstick.

The rest of the clowns found poor Bobo,

his lips cut off, pasted to his mother's lips