rodeo clown

your days
on the rodeo circuit
were long
and hard.
busting broncos,
lassoing
wild cows
and branding
bulls.
when the ring
clown
got sick, who
stepped in to
to fill his floppy
orange shoes,
you did.
sometimes the smell
hardly bothered
you as long
as you had
three handkerchiefs
tied about
your mouth
and nose.
you never did
get those rattlesnake
boots clean,
so you tossed
them into a can,
like the midnight
cowboy going
to florida
on the greyhound
bus. do you miss it,
no, and the broken
hip has
almost healed.
but you do miss
the cowgirls, tipping
your hat and saying
things like,
howdy.