one winter afternoon

(at the magical hour
when is becomes if)

a bespangled clown
standing on eighth street
handed me a flower.

Nobody, it's safe
to say, observed him but

myself; and why? because

without any doubt he was
whatever (first and last)

most people fear most:
a mystery for which i've
no word except alive

- that is, completely alert
and miraculously whole;

with not merely a mind and a heart

but unquestionably a soul -
by no means funereally hilarious

(or otherwise democratic)
but essentially poetic
or ethereally serious:

a fine not a coarse clown
(no mob,but a person)

and while never saying a word

who was anything but dumb;
since the silence of him

self sang like a bird.
Most people have been heard
screaming for international

measures that render hell rational
- i thank heaven somebody's crazy

enough to give me a daisy

e e cummings

This one came about as I'm a big, big fan of both The Marx Brothers – (especially Harpo Marx - who was one of the loveliest and sweetest people I've ever come across - 'a dear elf' - as he was once described by a friend) and e e cummings.
When I first read cummings' poem – the 'bespangled clown' instantly reminded me of Harp – so I've been looking for a way to combine the two in a cartoon for a long time...

So here we have Harpo, Chico, Groucho and me (sorry Zeppo, couldn't fit you in. Maybe next time.)

Alas, I do not actually own a set of natty turquoise mittens like the one I'm wearing in the cartoon, but I *do* have a rather splendid bright sea-blue slouch beanie, made of fantastic wool created from recycled plastic bottles - bought from the very lovely Salt City Designs - do check out their store

The clown (Harpo) is supposed to be standing on 8th Street, rather than dangling on a hook (or so it says in the poem)...

...but it was much more fun to draw him this way. And besides, Harpo always defied the rules of logic (and often gravity)
..............

Drawn while watching...

This beautiful clip from A Night in Casablanca (one of the Marxes' last films, and the first one I ever saw) – still one of my all-time favourite Harpo moments...

...another wonderful mime – Sam (Johnny Depp) performing in Benny and Joon ...

and... PANCAKES!