(With apologies to Dodgson)
"You are old, father William," the young clown said,
"And your hair has become rather white;
and yet you incessantly stand on your head-
Do you think at your age it is right?"
"In my youth," Father William replied to the clown,
"I feared it might make me look mad,
But now as a way to turn frowns up-side-down
it makes the world somewhat less sad."
"You are old," said the clown, "as I mentioned before,
And have grown less robust, I don't doubt,
yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door-
Pray tell us Bill, what's that about?"
"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
by use of this tonic, it's pink lemonade!
Allow me to but you a couple."
"You are old," said the clown, "yet your mind is still keen.
You manage debates with deft touch.
A coin in the hand was worth two, which seems mean.
Pray, how do you manage at such?".
"In my youth," said the father, "I took to red tape,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular logic it gave to my mind
has lasted the rest of my life."
"You are old," said the clown, " one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced a rake on the end of your nose
(most clowns just tread on them)
What made you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is enough.
You must learn to think for yourself.
But I'll leave you with this, when it comes to clown stuff;
Caution: Slapstick can damage your health!"
