Harlequins Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

Through ages they have entertained
Crowds begging for a hearty laugh
To act as nimble fools ordained
Whom men of wheat considered chaff

From Sufi tales to Zanni troupes
Evolve as ridiculed buffoons
Lithe, nimble feet sliding through hoops
On lazy Venice afternoons

There's something in the ways of man
That forces certain lonely souls
To don the ways of Peter Pan
Though grown, adopting circus roles

I saw two actors on the street
In that familiar diamond garb
Black red and white with masks discreet
And wondered why and where their barb

Through ages they have entertained
Crowds begging for a hearty laugh
To act as nimble fools ordained
Whom men of wheat considered chaff.