Cloony the Clown by Shel Silverstein with a rejoinder by Gussy the Clown

I'll tell you a 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 very funny, at all!
He had a trombone and played loud silly tunes;
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy, sloppy, skinny and tall;
But he just wasn't very funny at all
And every time he did a trick, Someone 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 asked the reason "why?"
One day he said, "I'll tell this town,
How it feels being an unfunny clown."
He told them all, why he looked so sad, He told them all why he felt so bad.
He shared his pain, his tale he told;
Of sleepless nights and feeling cold;
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no... NO!
They laughed until they shook the trees
with Ha Ha Ha's and He He he's
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, to every town.
Over mountains, across the seas;
People snickered, smiled with glee;
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head dropped down and his shoulders bent.
And he said, "that's not what i meant,
I'm only funny by accident."
And while the world laughed and laughed, Cloony the clown smiled at last.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small;
But deep inside it didn't matter at all.

Rejoinder by Gussy the Clown

It's good to laugh, It's good to cry
But both of them, at once don't try.
Remember, when the chips are down
That unfunny fellow, Cloony the clown,
With his shoes too big and his hat too small
So inept, no one cared at all
With his sad story that wasn't a joke
A sorry tale of a heart that broke.
A tale of pain and loneliness and woe so sad
Others thought theirs wasn't so bad.
He made them laugh, though he cried inside
He made them forget, leave their cares aside
Cloony the clown, that unlikely sage
The perfect clown, for an imperfect age.