That’s Not Funny

That’s Not Funny

no one is laughing at you

sure

we all laughed 

when you started to speak

but that was a coincidence

not something intended 

to humiliate you

to mock you

to drown you out

we weren’t laughing

became of anything you said

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besides

we were laughing so much

we didn’t hear you anyway

it’s okay

there’s no need to repeat yourself

you aren’t that funny

really

no one is

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expect when they take it personally

when they are egotistical enough

to think they are the object of derision

merely because 

everyone is laughing

for no apparent reason

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no one saw you come into the room

we were already laughing

all so consumed

by our own smug sense of superiority 

of being in on a joke

that you would never get

we didn’t notice you 

<>

when you started to speak

we saw no need to stop

no need to listen

we only stopped laughing

when you didn’t laugh too

and now

the joke’s on you

There is a classic Mary Tyler Moore Show where giggles start at funeral – I think it was Chuckles the Clown. They attempt to suppress themselves but can’t. When someone asks what are they laughing at, the reply is more laughter & that someone is offended at being laughed at. Walking in the middle of a joke can be awkward but taking it personally or feeling stupid because you don’t get the joke is pointless.

TV has trained us to laugh only when others are laughing – almost all sitcoms rely on a laugh track to let us know this is funny, this is the punch line & it’s time to laugh. There is youtube site that shows shows without the canned laughter & you know some of those jokes are flatter than your TV screen or come across as mean, not as funny.

One of thing stand-up comics learn is timing – you don’t want the laugher at one joke to drown out the punch line for the next one &, one thing I’ve learned, people will laugh when you least expect them to so be prepared to slow down a little if you want the real punch line to get heard. Unfortunately movies can’t slow down so I’ve missed five minutes of dialogue after a joke because the of audience reaction. 

If you think your life has been a joke, you’re probably right lol?