What’s so funny? (Writing humorous poetry)

What’s So Funny? (Writing Humorous Poetry)

Someone told me last weekend at a birthday party that I was so funny. I told them funny looking maybe… 

What constitutes as funny anyway? I once heard that the beginning of comedy started when a tall skinny caveman was arguing with a somewhat chubby caveman over an attractive cavewoman they both were attracted to. Neither one was very good looking. 

She saw this and started to laugh. I wonder why?! 

I’m guessing there were no Calvin Kline underwear models back then. Loincloths maybe…

Folly. Opposites. The folly of opposites bends the grin of the absurd. 

Pertaining to poetry, a nice funny poem is often a welcome change in content. We poets often tend to be a broody bunch! However, I have observed that we also have our excessively silly sides too, and often brilliantly creative besides being light hearted.

As for humorous genres of poems, there are a few to consider.  There are funny haikus, tricubes, clerihews, backwards poems, cinquains, nonets, tongue twisters, repetition poems, list poems, and updated nursery rhymes to name a few. 

I would go into how to write each one, but this article is to simply whet your taste into which direction you may go in writing funny poems. All the above are easily found through your favorite search engine…

Most poets just go for a more free verse style, which allows them to make their own rules. No one can say they are wrong if they cannot define what is right. Sounds good to me…

I wrote such a poem today about how southerners in the United States like to rib each other. I mean they like to tease the living bejeebers out of each other… locking horns like an old married couple! Then they will turn around and buy each other lunch. It cracks me up every time! 

                                 

A bit of it goes: 

guy called me beetlejuice for my crazy hair mane 

I called him hambone for lack of a better name

he asked me if I was ever going to work today 

I told him I’d run him over if he got in my way

                                          —

I drive a forklift at work. Of course I would never think about running a guy over. Just being silly getting him back for him asking me if I was going to work today, when it was obvious we had both been killing ourselves trying to keep up.

It’s these opposites that are fun to play with. 

Whether it is being funny or looking funny, different looking cavemen, or teasing someone when they are actually a good friend, all opposites are fair game. 

Hope you enjoyed this little blog. I hope it gets you to thinking about some various types of humorous writing that you may be able to craft to your own particular brand of personal comedy. As usual, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT BELOW! 

I’d like to hear how you write your humorous poems! What makes them funny? Why do you write them? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW! 

Thanks for reading! I’ll see you around. Well not really. I’ll read you around maybe? Take care.

Matt Elmore