hanky panky
by Tom Misuraca
It's the oldest clown trick in the book. Pulling out an endless chain of various colored hankies from his pocket.
The clown chuckles at the infinite stream of hues. His laughter, once jolly, is now sinister to my ears. Somewhere in the distance, calliope music plays. Or have my braincells turned to pipes. Exhaling everything I once knew. Now there’s only a dying organ. And colorful cloth.
Have I seen these colors before? They’re unfamiliar. We’ve gone beyond the rainbow.
Like his wig. Which now seems grey compared to the tones he’s producing… projecting… ejaculating… from his pocket. Thrown at me by his white gloved hands. A skeletal hand. His painted white face more like a skull than a harlequin.
I begin to cry and the clown laughs louder. Or is he crying, too? Or am I laughing?
It is an impressive trick.
The carnival has long ago left town. The big top is now torn and weathered. My hair growing longer. My fingernails curl into themselves. Twirling like the colorful tissues.
I should’ve left a long time ago. But here I stay, mesmerized. As the clown keeps pulling and pulling.
Burying me alive in a rainbow of fabric.
Photo of Tom Misuraca
BIO: Over 160 of Tom Misuraca's short stories and two novels have been published. His story, Giving Up The Ghosts, was published in Constellations Journal, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. His work recently appeared in Flint Hills Review, The Paradox and Southern Florida Poetry Journal. He is also a multi-award winning playwright with over 170 short plays and 14 full-lengths produced globally. His musical, Geeks!, was produced Off-Broadway in May 2019.