Bello the Clown

The 'play' that resulted from the insight mentioned below has been to participate in a "Writing stories for children" distance course offered by a Swedish university. One of the first exercises in this course was to write a poem or nursery rhyme about the circus for small children. This is what flowed from my pen ... for children aged 3-6.

Dippetty doppetty down
The circus has come to town
You’d better watch out for Bello the clown!
Dippetty doppetty down.

Splishetty splashetty splush
Bello the clown has a brush
He’ll give you a shave if you don’t watch out!
Splishetty splashetty splush.

Flippetty, flapppety, flop
Bello the clown has a mop
He’ll wash you away if you don’t watch out!
Flipppety flappety flop

Ticketty tacketty tock
Bello the clown has a clock
He’ll wind you up if you don’t watch out!
Ticketty tacketty tock.

Hippetty happetty hix
Bellow the clown’s full of tricks
He’ll do them again if you don’t watch out!
Hippetty happetty hix.
© Sue Glover Frykman

After taking part in a "Write with the Heart" workshop in connection with a "C. J. Jung Seminar" in Sweden in the summer of 2009, and writing the following in a 3-minute writing exercise, I realised that my writing was too serious and needed lightening up a bit to include more 'play'.

The same opening line for the 3-minute exercise was: "There’s a man with a moustache....."

"There’s a man with a moustache on the side on my neighbour’s van, on his knees with an insulating machine in his hand. Action man. Goal-related. A job to do and one he has to do well. Otherwise he won’t have any more work! Selling a service. Market-oriented. Where we are today. Humanity has to shop its way out of the economic crisis. What about reflection? Alternatives. Perhaps the system is rotten and if we shop till we drop we’ll fall through the hole never to be seen again. The man with the moustache is kneeling. Praying?"