The acne faced carni kid,
a rookie but a quick study,
caught on fast to his new role.
The old guy,
a good teacher, but his knees and back ached
when he squat to long in one spot.
So, when the ‘…one born every minute”
lay down his dollar for the privilege of
“Gettin’ the B’Jesus scared out of ’em
in the Midnight Tunnel of Terror”,
well, it was the kids job now to hide in the dark corner
until the already spooked were ripe for a fright.
He’d jump out,
scream gory slaughter,
swing the stick
hung with slimy gauze,
then scamper back to wait in the dark corner
while the pair of lovers, or little brothers,
or even the three, too cool for words, teens
ran shrieking for the dim lit exit.
Lurking in his lair, the kid would chuckle.
He knew Death’s a phony and the Light’s always there.