In defense of humor (an editorial about why we make so many jokes)
ˈ(h)yo͞omər
An editorial,
In artful haiku format!
Explaining why we make stupid jokes,
and why humor is so important to us all,
and why we choose to treat it as an art form.
(originally published in the issue 4, 2021 mag).
Video/spoken word + picture + actual words
(that’s a lot of different ways to read it, so good grief just get to it)
video by Ashton Edwards.
by the Toad’s humor editor- comedy czar -
Matt Otey
This all started with
hacky poems—haikus that didn’t
fully respect form
But they made me laugh.
And sometimes the laughter spread,
and that made me grin.
Laughter as an art—
HU-MOR (over-pronounced) is
a moving target.
Hu-mor can seem dumb
when set next to beauty or
poignant poetry.
But laughter remains
a fulcrum which balances
suffering and joy.
Hu-mor funnels tears
from our eyes through those crows feet
when everything aches;
catharsis abounds
when our belly hurts more than
our loss, our weeping.
Even if it lacks
the depth that may illicit
singing and dancing
laughter is still art
because art is expression;
guffaws express…stuff.
Tell me exactly
what Cameron felt when he
stared long at that eye,
when John Hughes focused
on the art, saving Ferris
through the comedy?
(I know this is not
funny as you read it right now
and maybe never,
But a haiku as
an apology for our hu-mor?
Well… that is on brand.)
Heck, there is spooky
and scary that make us laugh
more than scream or jump.
Comedy is just
tragedy and fear on a
completed timeline.
Hu-mor persists
in these pages and online
because this value,
the value of joy
as antidote to hard crap,
deserves some space, too.
________________________________________
A plea, a request
to close this rambling mess:
give us some jokes, plz.
If our comedy
doesn’t hit your funny bone,
then please add to it!
There is little use
proving how adult we are
with polite half-laughs.
The more adult thing
is to laugh big and enjoy
the lemons: our jokes.
Matt Otey
Born under unusual circumstances, Matt Otey springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse.
Ashton Edwards
Ashton is a practical creative. His greatest passion is to inspire others into action. He hosts the Typical Creative Podcast and runs a YouTube channel! He enjoys creating videos, connecting with new people, and cruising on his Goldcoast cruiser. If it is humid, which it always is in Joplin, he will always declare how hot it is, even in the winter.
ashtonobadiah.com
@ashtonobadiah