The Emmett Kelly Room at the Comedy School
Teaches the kind of homelessness where you
No longer see your own reflection in the diner,
And teaches the kind of sadness where even
A banana peel is tragic, where there’s no
Pretending to be happy, or anything at all
But what drops out at that moment
When the one you thought had befriended you
Admits he's uncomfortable hanging in that space
But what drops out at that moment
When the one you thought had befriended you
Admits he's uncomfortable hanging in that space
Where all your hopes lie undivided.
He needs something more than you can give
He needs something more than you can give
Not to break out of character,
In order to torment the doomed.
In order to torment the doomed.
He still teaches, although not seen anymore
Except in this one velour oil behind velvet ropes
Like the paint-a-clown art school test,
The perfect model, remembered only by the French.
You come to him with truth
And he shows you all the people you have hurt.
