
Laughing Fool (c. 1500–20) — Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (attrib.) (1470–1533)
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I was a jester once
but never one’s fool
jokes and sarcasm my tool
and a hunchbacked caper
to temper my sting
for the dumb-ass lords and their damsels
tossing fool’s gold at my feet
pope for a day
king for a night
but never a fool
laying down my motley rule
cackling uncheckered truths
at the high and mighty
a dunce’s cap my only protection
hoping one day my head won’t roll
I was a jester once
but never one’s fool
and at your own risk
fail to distinguish between the two
as even with my head on a spike
I’ll be grinning down at you
A little inspiration drawn from Shakespeare's motley fool, Touchstone, in the play As You Like It.
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