Day 333: Juggle As You Please

Juggle As You Please
by
Matt Zurbo

Nugsy was walking along,
traveling here to there,
when he saw a strange thing
just beyond the fair.
(Boy walking, holding an ice-cream. Looking at something out of our vision.) 

“Fish flying, still in their bowls?
What’s going on?” he said,
stopping to have a look,
at happenings above his head.
(Boy looking up at about four fish bowls with startled fish, in air above him.)

Bowling balls soaring,
LOOK OUT – chainsaws, too!
Tenpins, flaming things,
several mugs of stew!
(Mentioned things in air behind fence. Boy looking puzzled, ice-cream melting.)

Somehow Nugsy had entered,
the land of “Juggle As You Please”,
where the worst thing you could do,
is make somebody sneeze!
(Boy in front of town sign, looking at other kid juggling lots of salt and pepper shakers, sneezing.)

The people of the town
were an amazing lot!
Juggling memories and tomcats,
autumn leaves and odd socks!

There was a big man, juggling his food,
and his neighbor’s too.
an octopus juggling clowns,
a wombat its square poo!

The zoo there was no different,
Lions juggling cats!
Seals juggled penguins,
monkeys tossed sleeping bats!

The dishwasher juggled dishes,
the mechanic sockets and spools!
The garbo juggled garbage,
the play-write juggled fools!

A little girl juggled her fears,
her brother juggled time.
Nugsy thought, Juggle As You Please,
was a place quite fine!
(Girl juggling little monster versions of the seven sins, who all look stunned. Boy juggling clocks and hour glasses. Main boy watching, hands on hips, smiling.)

All-in-all the little town
was like a carnival song,
everything up in the air,
where good music belongs!
(Boy walking along, everybody on street juggling as they watch a band juggle their instruments.)

“If you want to stay,”
warned a girl with flowers,
“what you juggle says a lot!
It’s like your super power.”
(Girl juggling dozens of flowers, boy beside her, listening while smelling one.)

“Uh-ho…” Nugsy fretted,
juggling was not his thing.
A kid without timing,
how could he still fit in?

Nugsy moved both hands up and down,
as the crowd began to watch.
“I’m juggling invisible balls!
Take my word they never drop!”

Then, a big, burly fellow,
juggling, oh, so much,
tripped little Nugsy up,
just to prove he was tough.
(Huge, barrel-chested man, big fingers held dainty, in close, juggling lots and lots of objects, including a few dinosaurs, smiling, foot out, tripping boy.)

Quickly, a lady appeared,
jugging possums playing trumpets.
“A challenge has been issued,
we must have a contest…!”

“A contest!” cried the mayor,
juggling lots of legal suits.
“Everyone get your juggle on!
“In case things fall, wear tough boots!”
(Everybody juggling, wearing oversized, unlaced, steel cap work boots.)

Next thing Nugsy knew,
there was a voodoo man,
juggling chicken legs and potions,
from his crazy voodoo clan!

A DJ juggled speakers and disks,
people danced throughout the land.
“That’s nothing!” bragged the strong man,
as he juggled the whole band!

Each time, though, the large fellow,
juggled more and more and more,
his challengers sent packing,
their objects falling to the floor.
(Witch doctor standing, dejected, voodoo objects at her feet. Huge man juggling dozens of items easily.)

Soon, only Nugsy was left,
alone against this beast.
“Can’t we just be friends?” he asked.
“Sit down for a feast?”

The huge fellow simply scoffed,
while juggling crocodiles.
“Beat me, or leave this town,
that you were only passing by.”

The man was really rude,
Nugsy was seeing stars!
“Well, right now,” he replied,
“I’m juggling invisible cars!”

The crowd all whispered “Wow…!”
Imagining it in their heads.
Why would they not believe,
what this stranger said?

But the mighty fellow
would not be so simply beat,
he juggled all the jugglers,
watching in the street!

Everyone went “Ohh…” and “Ahhh…”
while spinning way up there.
“There’s no way you’ll beat this, kid!
You’re only juggling air!”

Nugsy was a nice kid,
kind of goofy and fun,
but a good challenge?
Well, towards that, he’d run!

Putting down his invisible cars,
gently, one-by-one,
he braced himself to do,
something never done.

He stood upside down,
feet way above his head.  
balancing on one hand,
then on the other instead.

Left hand, right hand, left…
back and forth he switched.
As if he was quite mad!
Or at least bewitched!

Finally, the flower girl,
let out a raspy little gasp.
“No way…!” she quietly marvelled,
as it dawned on her at last.

“He’s juggling the planet…” she said,
watching from on her head,
and everybody loudly cheered,
enough to rise the dead!

The mighty man conceded,
shaking Nugsy’s scrawny hand.
“Let’s throw a party!” he cried, 
“Oh boy, we’ll make it grand!”
(Everybody around a banquet table, eating, drinking, laughing, juggling in pairs, each others objects. Huge man, big smile, furiously shaking boy’s hand.)

Nugsy left Juggle As You Please,
a big smile upon his face,
on an imaginary rocket,
he hoped to one day race.

The End