Who Am I? I Am the Joker!!!

Picture this scene. It is a nice school day at an awesome high school in January of 1974. As you walk through the hallways to get from class to class, a number of students who know you (even though you may not know some of them) start air-guitaring you some song that contains these lyrics:

Some people call me the Space Cowboy. Yeah!Some call me the Gangster of Love.Some people call me Maurice'Cause I speak of the pompitous of love.

At first, you are confused until you hear these words attached to a song a few weeks later. You then begin to realize something. You now have your very own theme song and, soon, EVERYBODY knows it. Afterward, you are being introduced as the Space Cowboy and the Gangster of Love. Now that you have a theme song, everyone all of a sudden knows you, and you are surprised to meet people who have no idea of who you are in school. Thank you, Steve Miller for writing "The Joker."

Folks, this is NOT a fake story. This is real. I should know because it actually happened to me.

I am THE JOKER!!!!

Back then, it took me a while to get used to and accept the title. Two years later, it dawned on me. Yes, I have my very own theme song. I could walk into any room and expect the orchestra to play my song as I enter. Yes, I am the JOKER and dang proud of it!!

I guess that fate was trying to tell me something since I was a child. As a youngster, I had a normal fascination with comic books, and the Batman series always caught my attention. He was a mysterious individual who was able to easily corral his toughest foes, but one always managed to give him headaches. Who was it? That's right. JOKER!!!! He was a wicked-looking character in the comic books, but he was not too terrifying once he was played on TV by Cesar Romero. Still, he struck terror and fear into the hearts of many (The JOKER did, not Cesar Romero.).

I watched many people try to imitate the Bob Kane-created character, but nobody managed to capture the true character of the Clown Prince until the 1989 movie that starred Michael Keaton in his first Caped Crusader movie of the same name. His foe? The JOKER, played by the legendary Jack Nicholson!!! This time, he was called Jack Napier before he was dumped into a vat of acid and emerged as the JOKER soon after. This guy was serious. I saw some of the Cesar Romero qualities come through, but it was a role meant purely for Nicholson. Even I was nearly scared to watch him on screen, but that is the character who shares that name with me.

"You can call me THE JOKER and as you can see, I am very happy about it."

So am I, JOKER. So am I.

Honestly, the original JOKER was a criminal mastermind. I am no criminal. This JOKER, my friend, is more of a lover, not a gangster. I love the ladies. I simply can't resist them. I talk to them. I flirt with them. I take selfies with them. They are the reason for my existence. Yup, as I said before, I am a lover of women. I am the JOKER!!!!

Sometimes, it is not easy being me. On Facebook, for example, most people resent me using the clown face as my profile picture. Too bad. Does it look evil? Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. I honestly do not care. It simply reflects me and how I feel. Ironically, it reminds me of an old Smokey Robinson tune called 'Tears of a Clown:"

Now there's some sad things known to manBut ain't too much sadder thanThe tears of a clownWhen there's no one around

Yes, I may be hiding some sadness, but the JOKER's smile hides the sadness within me. There are times, for example, when I DO want someone around me. In those cases, I am missing female companionship. I want a girlfriend and, hopefully, a nice wife. As far as my friends are concerned, not only do I have enough friends, but I have the right friends. They are always there for me and I am there for them as well. Those friends are the reason why I smile. If you had great friends as I have, you'd smile as well.

Normally, this JOKER simply enjoys life. Yes, there are some downs, but there are plenty of ups, too. No one's life is really easy. How one handles himself (or herself) will determine how they see themselves. Can anyone be a JOKER like I am? Honestly, no! JOKERS like me are born, not created on some artist's sketch board. I was the JOKER before the Batman TV series. I was the JOKER before and during my high school days long before Steve Miller coronated me back in 1974.

Besides, who else has his own card in a deck of cards? There is only one person. Who is it? THE JOKER!!!!