Granny Mary Poesy
‘What Is Funny?’
The MuddYum editors need to know!
Send Granny Mary your questions in the comments here or email directly. Let’s look at the mailbox!
Dear Granny Mary: What is funny? — the editors of MuddYum
Oh, dear friends, I can feel the pathos in your query. I can only imagine what has brought you to this lowly state of insecurity. Perhaps it’s imposter syndrome — what with that amazing anthology coming out — but as far as I can tell, only two of the MuddYum editors are imposters, and one of them is a badger. I’ve decided to answer this in the best way I know how. A poem.
What is Funny?
What’s funny is the letter K In kale and klop and kooklafran Neil Simon schooled us all one day So we could make a funny plan With kale and klomp and kooklafran
Your underwear is funny, too No matter what your Mom would say Whether clean or holey or streaked with poo We love fudge in every way “That sounds gross,” your Mom would say
Let’s stick with butts, they’re funny twice Or thrice or six or twenty times The butts of camels, fish, and mice Butt-like puns and butt-ish rhymes Three or six or thirty times
What’s funny is the hard slow burn The straight-man’s grimace sets him off Costello teaches, Bud won’t learn “Hey, Abbott, turn your head and cough.” Straight-man turn your grimace off
Pain is ancient funny gold Even death can raise a laugh Smacks and falls and clowns explode Say the bores, “Too dead, by half.” But death, my friend, can raise a laugh
Shloopity blob blibberty mite Okla okla okra smushy I am the vengeance of the night We’re back to butts, don’t touch my tushy Obla dible Oobla smushy
Anthologies are funny things They’re less the whiskey, more the jar Of this and that, the other t’ings The kind of funny leaves a scar Far less whiskey. Far more jar.
Our ology — anth — will reframe funny The world awaits. They’d rather be laughing As eggs is eggs, whether hard or runny We’ll bear this load, we’ve got the staffing I can tell by the farts. They’d rather be laughing.
Can’t say it more clearly than that. Thanks to Nanci Arvizu, for the challenge. If you would rather be laughing, check out Gary Chapin or go to MuddyUm mothership at the link below.
The MuddyUm Anthology, Wouldn’t You Rather Be Laughing, is available now at Amazon for $9.99. Go on. Click. And cure what ails you.
