My Best Christmas Toy

 

 

My best Christmas toy ever

Was a frowning clown,

Never before or after

Have I seen one around.

 

That made me special:

Me and my special clown,

That clown I had for Christmas

With the frown.

 

It was red and white

And wore black shoes,

Oh no, it was not Santa Claus;

I am not confused.

 

I know the difference

Between Claus and Clown,

Santa Clause has a white beard

And my clown, a frown.

 

But there is more

About my Christmas clown,

The one dressed like Santa

But with a frown.

 

 

He had a long string

Like a tight rope

And he would ride along it

As best as I could cope.

 

He had balancing sticks

Attached to two balls

So he could ride his unicycle

And not fall.

 

He’d ride on the string

Up and down,

My special Christmas clown

With the frown.

 

One end of the string

Was securely fixed

While the other in my hand

Would do the trick.

 

By raising and lowering

I could set the speed

And he’d ride on that string

For as long as I need.

 

I was probably nine

Back at that time

And that clown was always

On my mind.

 

Every waking hour

I spent with my clown

Lit up my face with a smile

Though he had a frown.

 

I was an expert

And he was as good

As we made fun together

As long as I could.

 

 

Clown on a tight rope

I will never forget,

It was great that Christmas

When we first met.

 

Now for the sad part

When we parted ways,

It must have been sometime

After Christmas Day.

 

Trying to go to fast

He had a fatal fall

And though I tried to fix him

Nothing worked at all.

 

We had a good time

My clown and I

He was my best Christmas toy

But then he died.

 

I’ve grown up since

And I miss him no more

And Christmas means far more

Than it did before.

 

Stewart Russell © December 18, 2024