Don't you love farce?

My fault, I fear. 

Sure of my lines,
No one is there.  --Sondheim

Sacred clowns?  Who knew?  The ones who could see the manitou.  Lord of Hosts.  Oh yeah... creepy Uncle Sam. Different than scared clowns.





We get it.  There is no "government" unless you are talking about whatever it is that is (i am that i am) making the big decisions. God, you say?  Seen Him in the watch fire...ramp a damp? Not exactly.  Although that's definitely in the mix.  Everything has its own manitou... plants, stones, machines... everything.  Pantheism?  Argy bargle.  It is the elephant the boys saw in the Civil War.  Infantry, Queen of Battles.  Anima rising.  She's a vengeful little goddess with an ancient crown.  All that.  Still don't see it?  Wow.  Elephant in the room putting on tap shoes.  Fat lady gargling mi-mi-me.

Appears like there is about to be a show, no?  You betcha.  A really big one.  And guess what?  You are in it right now.  Haven't seen the script?  We're extras.  We don't need a script.  Some of us have seen the elephant.  We are veterans.  Some of us are here because we want to be.  All of us have to be.  We are Veteran Volunteers.  We know the drill by now... and we have seen this show before.  So it goes without saying (but we gotta say it)... most of us will be gone.  Keep your eye on the brick wall at the back.  Between you and the wall is the enemy.  The audience.  They see everything you do.  Never mind them.  You are about to see the elephant.  The sight... listen... will scare you shit-less.

For real.  So listen up.  When the audience sees the brick wall... it is going to get very strange.  So I recommend the light technical (black) nylon underwear that cleans easy and dries quick.  Spare packs down to the size of an egg. Probably won't need it.  Gotta deal with elephant shit first and your own shit later.  There probably will not be a later.  Maybe the light in the tunnel is on the other side of the rainbow bridge.  Lots of little kids have been afraid of clowns.  Why?  Weirdness pure and simple.  The grotesque.  Clown with the cyanide pie.  Dat's all brother.  Those frightened of the strange and unfamiliar paid to see the show.  They will see the elephant.  Water filter.  Probably won't need it.

But lotsa people might be upstream rinsing out their undies.

'The word "manitou" (in both Cree and Ojibwe) written in Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics.'

messed up the story a bit... but if Elizabeth Thorn did not see the elephant first hand-- nobody did.