Was the original Palm Sunday a practical joke?

This year Palm Sunday’s April 1st.
Ironic, don’t you think?
A day for jokes and playing tricks on friends.
That day in Old Jerusalem
was hardly slight-of-hand.
It was the real McCoy, not just pretend.

Or was it? (We might rightly ask.)
That cheering crowd became
a jeering crowd blood-thirsty (downright cruel).
“Hosannas” voiced on Sunday
morphed to Friday’s “Crucify!
We have no king but Caesar. Kill the fool!”

The April Fool was led away
and bludgeoned on a cross.
Despised, He was rejected as a fraud.
Once lauded with palm branches
and regaled as David’s Son,
now the object of a joke (though He was God).

And we (like them) can also seem
in step with what He claims,
so quick to raise our palms in public praise,
but then to be persuaded by
the feelings of our friends
and once we’re not at church we change our ways.

Are we Palm Sunday’s April fools
pretending He is Lord?
Just going through the motions one more time?
Or are we fools for Jesus
unconcerned what others think
as we count the cost and daily toe the line?