Blog Prompt 1 xD

When Ms Huang told us to go home and find a poem which we really liked and talk about it. I was really excited cos I knew exactly which poem I would choose. So here it is. (:

Cloony The Clown by Shel Silverstein

I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried. 

This poem was actually introduced to me by my classmate Goh Xian Fong during Poetry "Nite" in 2010. He did mention parts of the poem here and there and what it means but I actually had a personal connection to the poem itself. Though it actually started off on a light note, sounding quite cheerful, it is actually a pretty sad poem, which I weirdly gained a liking for. I don't really wish to start talking about what the poem is about from the surface, so instead I'll actually tell you what the poem really means to me.

This poem actually allowed me to feel how other people might react if I said something hurtful to them, no matter whether I knew that I hurt them or not. Sometimes, we really need to just step into the shoes of the other person and personally feel how they feel. I actually feel lucky to have been exposed to this poem before I actually felt how Cloony The Clown felt in real life. It came to me that we shouldn't do things to others if we know that they won't like it. If they are different from the rest, we still have to accept them into society and make them feel welcomed. Cos they're differences don't make them inferior, it only makes them unique. :)

So that's my favourite poem which really touched me. Hope you liked it :D

Cheers, Raphael :)