Summary

The web content is a reflective and humorous poem by Carlo Zeno about the narrator's desire for laughter, even at their own funeral, as a testament to a life lived without respect and filled with comedic tragedy.

Abstract

The poem titled "You Can Laugh At My Funeral" by Carlo Zeno explores the theme of humor in the face of life's failures and the inevitability of death. It humorously suggests that even in death, the narrator wishes to be the source of laughter, failing at the art of decomposing just as they may have failed in life. The narrator implores those present at their funeral to not mourn but to laugh, as they believe life and death are both filled with absurdity. The poem challenges the solemnity of funerals and encourages genuine emotion over hypocritical respect. It also touches on the idea that both the living and the dead can perceive the authenticity of one's feelings, advocating for laughter as a form of honesty and closure.

Opinions

The narrator views their life as a series of comedic failures and wants this theme to continue even after death.
There is a suggestion that the priest, a symbol of solemnity, might also find amusement in the situation, despite the social expectation to maintain a serious demeanor.
The poem criticizes the idea of showing respect for the dead only out of societal obligation, especially if the deceased was not respected in life.
The author seems to believe that the gods, or a higher power, appreciate authenticity and humor over empty rituals.
The poem encourages readers to embrace laughter as a valid response to life's absurdities and as a form of respect that is more genuine than traditional mourning.
The narrator passes on the challenge to other writers to explore the delicate balance between tears and laughter in their own work.

Writing Prompt — Tears Of Laughter

You Can Laugh At My Funeral

As I fail in decomposing

birth pains all over again in my forties failing

how many times must I pick myself off the floor this life?

will I fail even at dying?

let them all laugh at my funeral.

you, me, the priest, all laughing while I fail in the art of decomposing.

as in life, in death

as in composing, decomposing

lack of composure or any real closure

let’s keep it real, and simple

your only funeral tears should be salty tears of laughter

make sure all of the other graves can hear your belly laughs

fill the whole cemetery with the memory of my sad comedy

for the gods intended me as a joke, an innocent little prank for your entertainment and theirs

so why hold back? don’t do it for the priest — for he is secretly laughing the loudest, behind his robes and rituals

don’t you dare respect me when I am dead when you didn’t respect me while I was living —

lest you goad the priest to show his teeth and laugh out loud at your hypocrisy

if you insist on keeping it respectable externally do me the kindness of also keeping it respectable internally —

for the gods and the dead can see both the outside and the inside

so please, do me this one favor —

and laugh.

_______________________

Thank you for reading, and thank you to my newest friend, Douglas Lim, for inviting me to my third fertile prompt challenge in a week. The original prompt, authored by Ray Day, is to write a piece that attempts to explore the line between tears and laughter. The above poem was the result.

Passing the baton to Krystal, Shereen Bingham, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她), Michael Burg, MD (Satire Sommelier), Patrick Eades, Anu Maarit Simard, Ann James, Annie Trevaskis, Cristina Cattai, Harold De Gauche, Toya Qualls-Barnette, Hollie Petit, Ph.D., Ravyne Hawke, and Annelise Lords

For more poetry you are not sure whether to laugh or cry about, give these two a try 👇

Sorry, I Was Born Like This

Existentially challenged

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Child, Tyrant, Plaything, Clown

Fate speaks out

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