O:JA&L Poetry: All forms & styles
Prose Poetry
Ken Poyner
UNPROFITTING PROGRESS

From the town just one river over there is talk of clown emancipation. There are too many clown rustlers there for the idea to be taken seriously – but some of the most dangerous ideas start as unserious. I think perhaps it comes of our clowns being more in demand than theirs. While we supply circuses and fairs, they make-do with little more than clown-o-grams and the birthday parties of unspectacular children. The only reasonable clowns they pen are those they steal from us. We complain, but overlook their rustling. A symbiosis may keep them longer, for profit, approving the trade.
About the writer:
Ken’s nine collections of flash fiction and speculative poetry are available from most web booksellers. He was an information warrior for thirty-three years and now supports full time his wife’s powerlifting. Recent work has appeared in Analog, Café Irreal, Mobius, and Tiny Molecules.
Image: Barrelman (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. Proprietary image. 2025.

