The Origin of Laughter

This might appear funny,
A thought occurred to me,
About the cause of the best medicine,
A Proverb's legacy,

I've heard it said it's funny 'cause it's true,
Well that makes me guffaw,
Not that the phrase doesn't scratch the surface,
Like not killing someone describes the law,

What is happening when you L.O.L.,
Is more transcendental,
It's the witnessing that you're not alone,
That's so hysterical,

But it can't last,
As long as you're human,
You must attain some higher level shit,
To afford to laugh for milleniums.

Hold That Thought

What's with all these layoffs?!
Can't a tech get a break?
Half the world uses social media,
Though most of it is fake,

Where are the cutbacks in fossel fuels?
Don't think that I've seen that,
Uganda's going to start drilling oil,
Not that lithium mining's where it's at,

You see how one complaint leads to many,
Maybe we shouldn't start,
Next thing we'll be demanding less airplanes,
And I don't have the heart,

'Cause I've got plans,
To go to Mexico,
For an all-inclusive with my family,
Let's not talk about this before we go.

Excel Calibration

Who knows what will happen,
Just when it's figured out,
Everything you thought was going to happen,
Is suddenly in doubt,

Like everything else you expect will not,
Then happens anyway,
Like all risks, they could be helpful or not,
Then just disappear as well any day,

While what stays constant is your attitude,
Even if it should change,
There's something you call yourself leading it,
That recalls each exchange.

So, think on that,
What you control and don't,
Then make a spreadsheet lining up your past,
How do you feel when what you want to be won't?

When You Know

When there's nothing to say,
You're lying to yourself,
In fact, let us go a little further,
About your mental health,

Everything you say is nothing at all,
A delaying tactic,
It's all noise you make to distract your brain,
From considering a worthwhile topic,

Like what the hell are you doing on earth,
For the blip of time you are,
If you knew, how would you, what would it mean,
Could you then stop all war?

Would you e'en try,
If you knew everything?
Maybe you'd let yourself just starve to death,
In a bliss that all others are missing.

Not Now

I'm not sure I want this,
Sitting here, writing,
But then I think about alternatives,
And I quit my fighting,

It is not that I'm getting paid for this!
Why's my mind go there first?
Oh, money's how we determine value,
That is why I always carry my purse,

Just kidding, I purchase with apple pay,
My phone's not in my purse,
That's where I keep my wallet and Kobo,
I don't want the thing to burst!

Like this poem,
What, you didn't notice?!
Sorry, forgot what a poem's good for,
Now walk back slowly from the precipice.

Too Personal?

I wish he'd included,
The one 'bout Mr T,
From Delirious in the tribute deck,
Lauding Eddie Murphey,

You'll have to look it up, if you don't know,
But I can't be too sad,
After his acceptance speech and the joke,
Heard around the world wasn't so bad,

He took a topic often talked about,
But never done justice,
Dropping his bomb like a professional,
Always leave them in bliss.

So here's to you,
You're forgiven for Klump,
Now I have to go and do my taxes,
Maybe next year I won't feel like a chump.

How To Get Ahead

There is a comfort zone,
At every stage of life,
In which you're not challenged to change a thing,
Despite struggles or strife,

It is easier to do what you know,
E'en if what you know's bad,
You feel you can't do what those others do,
You lack the aptitude you think they have,

When if you could get inside of their heads,
You'd not find much at stake,
Think of the success so many relish,
You think they're all that great?

Well they're not,
They have one possession,
A belief in their own capacity,
Or a lack thereof in those around them.

The Guide to Life

Who knows what will happen,
From one day to the next?
A hope you've had comes true against all odds,
That last year had seemed vexed,

Your house burns down if you have one at all,
You win the lottery,
A gas line exploids just as you walk by,
You've been a captive, now you've been let free,

A loved one dies without any warning,
The things you wished you'd said,
An illness strikes you that you suspected,
But left unattended.

And in the end,
Life is both short and long,
The blip you are means naught in the grand schemes,
All that has weight's that you've not got it wrong.