Poem: Did You Hear the One About…

Did you hear the one
about a carpenter ant
working towards a masters degree
in American Studies, I think it was?

Did you hear the one
about a self-aware broccoli floret
suing for custody
of its many children?

These are real jokes
that exist today
in our society.

Did you hear the one
about a real-live ascetic
transcribing every Lakers box score
into his Moleskine-brand agenda?

Or how about the one
concerning primarily
the misconceptions people have
about internet site YouPorn.com?

As these examples indicate,
raising awareness by means of humor
has become a popular endeavor.

Consider: in the 1940s,
you could throw Jerry Mathers
at a Western saloon’s hitching post
without any threat of recourse –
but people don’t realize that anymore.

As recently as 1973, I believe,
it was possible to mangle an astronaut
just because he looked different
and was more technically-minded than everyone –
an act which would horrify us now, one assumes.

That’s what humor is all about:
reconciling our differences super elegantly –

by invoking the lyrics, for example,
of a popular top-40 song
and cataloging all the synonyms
for sweaty and besotted intercourse.