britney, lindsay and the dueing clowns

 

scandalised tongues wager over what will come next

is it really the end,
or is a comeback imminent?

not wanting to seem passe
or 'out of the loop',
i asked the street-corner man
(the one holding a dirty sign reading
"why lie? i need a beer")
which he thought it'd be,
and he sagely replied,
"britney? lindsay? never met them, are they
some sort of latter day saints?"

(and then he slyly smiled)

"bread and circuses, my boy;
when your cares are reduced to choosing
between the dueling clowns,
between small fries or large,
trivia becomes global news."

"do you prefer ronald mcdonald or the other clown,
what's his name? jack?"

(again he slyly smiled)

i answered, and he said
"don't be ridiculous, lad.
should i spend my days debating
whether the sports section will keep me warmer
than the business section will?
 maybe, to be clever, i'll wrap up in
'real estate for sale'."

"bread and circuses, my boy;
the trick to winning the shell game is simple.
know it for what it is
and don't play when you know
that the pea is going to be palmed."

"you call those shells whatever you please;
britney, lindsay, anything;
some slick operator is palming the pea
hoping you'll play the rube,
taken in by his celebrity shills."

"remember me kindly, sonny,
at your next supper time
and remember that,
when hunger is the only given,
a 'happy meal' doesn't need to come with a toy."