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

Found poetry

In a follow up on a previous post on this blog, I would like to introduce and develop the idea of 'found poetry'.  If you're really strapped for inspiration to write a poem, and your muse seems to have deserted you... try found poetry. 

Yes... found poetry. As the name implies, you need to look for it. It can be hidden anywhere, and it's in plain sight. It's a little like cut-up poetry. Take any text you can find .... it can be an old newspaper or magazine article, or text from a book, or even a restaurant menu. Just about any printed text will do. 

Next, sit down with a highlighter pen, and begin to seek lines, sentences, words and phrases that will constitute your found poem. You can do this with the highlighter, as I have in the photo above... or if you prefer, use a dark marker pen to blot out words you don't want to use. 

In the image above, I used a page from an old university alumni magazine. The resulting poem, I think, is quite pleasing... it has rhythm and rhyme, and it actually makes sense in a quirky kind of way. 

I have written at least half a dozen (no... make that six) poems in this fashion. It doesn't take long once you've mastered the skill of spotting lines and phrases that can fit together. It may not work for you first time, but do persevere and let's see what you can come up with!

I welcome comments as ever, in the comment section below.

Steve Wheeler

Inverting Literary Devices (Wringing Out Words)

Steve Wheeler and I had a fascinating exchange of texts not long ago. He really is a wringer and twister of all terms literary, and I am always thrilled to witness him in full blast poetry extrapolation mode.

I am also absolutely certain he has a washboard somewhere in his office where he wrings out thesauruses and dictionaries, then reuses the wordy wash water to concoct his wooly masterpieces! I only wish I knew what kind of soap he uses…

We were going on about literary devices… and he was turning them inside out.

When I told him about the Invisible Poets Facebook Group exercise I wrote on extended metaphors, he said I should use a contracted metaphor. When I asked him what that was… he replied he just wasn’t sure yet… he had just made it up! I was like “Wha…?!!”

He went on to explore something he called anti-similes.. a total opposite contrast of “as” or “like”… always unlike something… then pointed out a few. His examples included … “as a pig wearing lipstick” or “as a walrus wearing a corset”… and as a kind of “jumper on there” I wrote back “as an elephant walking a tightrope”… 

It was just fun bouncing ideas between poets, but I started to see a window into my colleague’s poetic genius. He was creating inverted devices!! 

A bright light bulb lit up over my head like in the old Looney Tunes cartoons!!! “Ehh…what’s up doc?!” Wow… the possibilities…

That’s when Steve’s literary wringer went into a spin cycle… and he washed out another zinger… “Anti-Malapropism - misappropriation of a word for another word and then reverting back for effect”…  with the example “Tome becomes time becomes rhyme”. I answered “Rote becomes mote becomes rhyme”. He answered, “You got it. Go to the front of the class!!!”

Well… he didn’t really say go to the front of the class but it sounded good as I just wrote it…

Anyway (!),… what an amazing turn!!! To take  a word, follow it with a word that only sounds like or may imply that word, then follow it with another word or words that actually resemble the subject word.

Some more exchanges followed into the twilight zone of extemporaneous exhalations of exemplary english proclamations that soared into my favorite kind of preposterous…

I offered, “Jellyfish baited with toast becomes a toast to jellyfish becomes a stinging belly of jelly.”… to which Steve killed it with, “To all intent and purpose becomes to all intensive purpose becomes a porpoise on intensive care!” 

A porpoise on intensive care! 

My favorite of his was “Ravel's bolero becomes unravelled hero becomes unruffled Nero”! He claimed, “It’s a great way to write abstract internal rhymes.”

This was just a little fun texting between poets, but it proved to be much more than that. It put a tiger in my idea tank for sure… It also showed me a glimpse into the mind of a professor and opened up a whole new range of possibilities pertaining to our craft!! I’m not sure what Steve would term these morphing brainstorms of his to construct new ideas, but I just referred to them as “Inverted Devices” for the purpose of this blog.

I had to share them with YOU! 

Have you done this before reader? Can you think of any such “devices” you can turn inside out? Maybe you might even offer a few originals  of your own… or some examples pertaining to the above “Anti-similes” or “Anti-Malapropisms”…

 I would LOVE to see them! If so, PLEASE POST THEM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

And stick around… we will continue to explore a few more of these inverted devices together next time!

Until then, the writer writes… write on my friends…

Matt Elmore

Writing poetry as therapy

Have you ever been told not to cry? Or laugh? No public displays of affection? Don’t wear polka dots? 

If so, how did it make you feel to be choked off like that? Rejected? Restricted? Denied?

A colleague of mine recently mentioned in a comment from my last blog that she was once called out for being “too depressing” in a poetry group. 

It got me to thinking… is it possible to be too depressing as a poet? Too happy? Should this be a means of dejection from writing? Never to be addressed…?

Writing as a form of therapy has been known to massively benefit mental health… a primal scream to just get it all out. Worked for John Lennon! Once we let out this literary primal scream, we are on the outside looking in. This can be done by journaling, reviving memories, recounting feelings that were experienced during moments…

According to Elizabeth Sullivan, a licensed marriage and family therapist in San Francisco, “one of the most powerful aspects of therapy is cultivating the ability to observe our thoughts and feelings.” https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-power-of-writing-3-types-of-therapeutic-writing#1

Accepting themes that can be depressing as a sort of tonic of acceptance allows us to digest traumas and move on. Losing a loved one, loneliness, personally dealing with a fatal illness… all potentially socially awkward themes that should not be allowed to be smothered, denied, or restricted. 

Pinterest recently predicted in its 2023 trends report, “alternatives to talk therapy are on the rise”. 

Taking communication to another level by incorporating rhythms and rhymes with personal experience into poetry makes writing a bit cathartic in a sense. . It can actually heal our brains!

Poetry (like music) is the most incredible art form, presenting a platform by which to express whatever emotion we are feeling. Many affirmation poems, or what I like to call redemption poems, do this quite well. Bouncing back!

Some of the best perspectives come from some form of adversity. As writers, we draw upon this rather than avoid it… only to write about the moon and butterflies. Not that there is anything wrong with either!

Lonely butterflies on the moon… hey, if we can endeavor to mix the good with the bad, we might create some incredibly strong moods from which to draw upon.

Let me know what you think in the comments below… As always, I love to hear from you! 

Matt Elmore

Cut-up poetry

Have you heard of the Dada movement? It was an art movement that emanated from Europe back in the early part of the 20th Century. At the heart of Dadaism was the rejection of reason and logic in favour of spontaneity, the enjoyment of nonsense and irrationality. It was anti-art. It was anti-establishment. It was absurd. In short, they were all as crazy as a box of frogs. 

But it sounded like they had a lot of fun in the midst of an otherwise very dull society (in 1915 everything was in black and white).   

In the 1950s, over in the good ol' USA, the Beat Poets movement was just starting. One of the craziest members of this crazy gang of avant-garde poets and writers was William S. Burroughs, author of The Naked Lunch and other works. He rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jack Kerouac, David Bowie and Allen Ginsberg, but was also close friends with Brion Gysin, a British-Canadian painter, performance poet and inventor. 

Together Gysin and Burroughs developed the concept of the cut-up technique, which had its roots in the Dada movement. Cut-up involves taking a fully formed piece of text (or maybe several pieces) and cutting out text randomly, either in sentences, phrases or even single words. The cut-out strips can be assembled into a new piece of text. This can be done at random, or with purpose. 

There are many variations of this method. Someone on the blog yesterday posted a comment about word tiles and how they can inspire poetry. Throw them down and see what emerges. That's a great idea along similar lines to the above approaches. It can generate some powerful inspiration. 

I also developed my own technique around found poetry, which involves a similar method to cut-up but instead of snipping out the words, I use a highlighter pen to randomly select words and sentences within a piece of printed text and then creating a collage from them. This follows the bricolage method espoused by the likes of Claud Levi-Strauss, where you can 'do it yourself' bypassing normal techniques and gaining instant access to random creativity and inspiration. 

Yes, these are very post-modernist methods, but in the event of a road-block to your creativity, they might be just what you are looking for to restart your creative engine. Comments as ever, as most welcome.

Steve Wheeler

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Beating writer's block

Writer's block... you know it. That helpless feeling that you want to write, you know you need to write... but the words just don't come. Or you write words, and they either make no sense to you, or they are fit for nothing more than the trash can. All writer's suffer from it at some point in their lives. Some have regular bouts of it. 

Wikipedia (that super intelligent font of all knowledge) helpfully states that writer's block is a non-medical condition. I had a snigger at that. That means, without too much extrapolation, that writer's block is psychological in nature. Now... if only there was a psychologist to hand to explain this.... oh, wait... there is. 

When you experience writer's block and you feel as though your muse has deserted you... create some inspiration for yourself. Here are seven useful ideas to get your flooded engine kick-started again:

1. Pick up any everyday object.... an old tea cup, a pair of muddy boots, a set of car keys... your dog or cat.... and write something about them. Doesn't need to be anything flowery or profound. Just write. 

2. Listen to some music. Any music will do. Close your eyes. Listen. Write about the first thing that comes into your mind.

3. Sit in silence. Close your eyes and listen to the noises around you. Some will be distance noises like the wind, traffic on the roads, children playing in the street.... write about that.

4. Grab any old image, or photograph... and write a poem about what that image evokes in you.

5. Turn on the TV or radio news. Yeah, I know it's depressing. But the very next new item that is presented becomes the basis of your next poem.

6. What was the last conversation you had? Can you remember? Write about what was said (or not said).

7. Let your imagination run wild. Think of two characters from history, or from a novel or from the world of pop music or the movies. Pair up the most ridiculous two you can possible imagine. Micky Mouse and Barack Obama... go on holiday together... there's a poem right there. (NB: I would have used Micky Mouse and Donald Trump, but there isn't a ridiculous angle there). 

I'm sure you can come up with plenty of other ideas to break open that writer's block. So come on... share your ideas in the comments box below. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Steve Wheeler

Image from Wikimedia Commons

What is appropriate for poetry groups?

I looked at a poetry group on Facebook this morning and it was someone soliciting an illicit hookup. I was like… “Oh no! Not again…!” 

It was a bit shocking considering the picture, but in today’s world… very little is shocking anymore. 

This could become a problem… but that’s room for an entirely different blog…!!!

Yes, art is subjective! One person’ trash is not necessarily another another one’s treasure, but this seems to be a reoccurring theme on some poetry groups today.

I’ve been modestly helping to moderate Invisible Poets And Wheelsong Poetry on Facebook, and am just now starting to get a taste of how nasty and belligerent some people can really be!

In a faceless forum, once can really attack without any real world retribution. This puts us all under the gun really. I know I have taken a number of unnecessary shots in the past.  It only makes me try all the harder.

However… a poetry group is not the place for hookups. Or relationship crystal ballers… Or selling magic beans… Or any other such scamming rubbish. It is a place for sharing poetry, or simply reading a favorite or a number of favorite poets. 

I must confess I don’t buy as many books anymore when so much poetry is right here at my fingertips! Though books work better for me really… I like to read in the bathtub, and that could get rather ugly with a phone in the bubbles and a klutz like me!

Anyway,…! 

This morning a member of one of my groups commented to me saying she was going to leave. I asked her to message me for privacy. She told me about a group she was in that had told her that her poems weren’t poetry. I reassured her that our group would never do that.

Some groups will pounce if they think the content does not match their idea of what poetry should be, or if others complain too much about something, even if it is not founded in truth.

I, however, do not believe in this at all. EVERYONE should have their shot at writing whatever they like. Writers hands shouldn't be bound to write only what is deemed acceptable. Art is a big wide world and there is enough room for all of us to live comfortably without judgement or abuse.

Nasty content is not allowed on our groups AT ALL. A bully meets the same action as a pervert… they are kicked off to harass someone else. Also, poetry is not to be judged according to any other measuring stick than that which we all can reach. No poem, unless it has inappropriate references in it or excessive expletives, will be turned away. 

In our groups, we prefer poetry that has no expletives, for that is a reflection on the moral standard and mission that we all stand for at Wheelsong. It isn’t right or wrong. It’s just who we are. We are a charitable group formed on the basis of bringing in quality top class poets from around the world, children and teenagers included.

When I taught, I told the kids that people use curse words because they can’t find the appropriate words for the situation.

Dark poetry is a poetry unto itself, and requires its own group. This is the only grey area I see with the whole idea of poetry groups that have to moderate their content in an appropriate way… 

What do you think? Are there better methods out there to gauge what is right and what is wrong? Have you ever experienced this? If so… what happened? Let’s start a friendly dialogue! 

Please leave your comments in the box below… and thanks for reading!!! Have a wonderful day… and write on!! 🚀

Moderatin’ Matt Elmore

The impact of poetry and how it affects us

Poetry is a powerful art form that has the ability to move us emotionally, challenge our assumptions, and expand our perspectives. Through the use of language, imagery, and sound, writers of all kind are able to create works that are beautiful, meaningful, personal and haunting. Poetry has a rich history and tradition that spans cultures and time periods, and it remains relevant today as a way to connect with others and find meaning even in the modern age. Whether you are a poet or a reader of poetry, it is clear that this art form will continue to inspire and enrich many lives for generations to come. Poetry has even had profound effects unto the reestablishment of the English language by writers such as William Shakespeare. Poet and musician James Douglas Morrison once penned “As long as there are people, they can remember words and combinations of words. Nothing else can survive a holocaust, but poetry and songs.” 

How does poetry affect your journey of life?     

By: Brandon Adam Haven 

Image free for fair use by Pixabay 

Urban poetry

What is urban poetry? Well, have you ever seen or watched a performance of poetry on the streets? I used to do this myself when I was younger. It takes some courage, but out on the streets you always have an audience of some kind. I would get on top of a wooden box with a microphone stand and perform my poetry to anyone who was walking by and who might be prepared to stop and listen for a while. Yep, I was a little bit more insane back then. I've seen others do similar. Urban poetry doesn't have to be outdoors. It can be anywhere. Some of the best urban poetry pops up unexpectedly and takes us all by surprise. 

Urban poetry is about being on the right side of history. It's about telling the truth in spoken word. It can be about down to earth subjects with which we can all identify, like love and loss, traffic jams, chip shop queues, losing your keys, self esteem, or simply... living in a city. More often than not, urban poetry is a protest about something - corrupt politicians, war, poverty, pollution, racism... you name it. If you want to speak out against something by writing and performing poetry, you can call it urban poetry. There's no room for flowery language in urban poetry. It's delivered in a no-compromise, earthy, gritty, street level rhythm and tempo with plenty of rhyme and some choice language too.

Classic urban poetry proponents include Manchester Poet Mike Garry performing Penny for the Guy in an outdoor market, or Gil Scott Heron with his classic The Revolution will not be Televised complete with a bass and drum accompaniment.

Look out also for excellent urban poets such as Harry Baker, the inimitable John Cooper Clark (here he is in 1980 with a poem about urban decay called Beasley Street) and Birmingham poet and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah (here with a 2009 performance of Dis Poetry)... all of whom have influenced my own writing and poetry performances and probably inspired me to write my 2020 collection Urban Voices. If you have poetry in you, and it is just screaming to get out, try the spoken word as well as the written word to get your message out there. You can do a lot worse than plunge into some poetry performances out on the street. 

Be an urban poet - and go make some waves. 

Steve Wheeler

Image copyright by Steve Wheeler 2023