Living

The Dead Joke and the Funny Man

by James Whitcomb Riley 1849–1916

From Riley Songs of Friendship (1915)

Living

Long years ago, a funny man,
Flushed with a strange delight,
Sat down and wrote a funny thing
All in the solemn night;
And as he wrote he clapped his hands
And laughed with all his might.
For it was such a funny thing,
O, such a very funny thing,
This wonderfully funny thing,
He
Laughed
Outright.

And so it was this funny man
Printed this funny thing--
Forgot it, too, nor ever thought
It worth remembering,
Till but a day or two ago.
(Ah! what may changes bring!)
He found this selfsame funny thing
In an exchange--"O, funny thing!"
He cried, "You dear old funny thing!"
And
Sobbed
Outright.

MLA

Riley, James Whitcomb. “The Dead Joke and the Funny Man.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/306/.

Chicago

Riley, James Whitcomb. “The Dead Joke and the Funny Man.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/riley/306/.

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