Humorous poetry is one of the most accessible and enjoyable styles of the artform. There are a few poetry books that I find myself going back to time and again; each time finding something new, something to laugh at, or something insightful.
These are a few of the poetry books that I enjoy the most.
Bo Burnham’s Egghead, illustrated by Chance Bone:
Bo Burnham proves not only to have a talent for stand-up comedy, and songwriting, but for poetry as well. This may not be surprising, because in songs like “i’m bo yo”, Burnham plays with language… maybe like a game of tag.
Burnham’s comedic genius is apparent throughout Egghead
“My barber is bald, my trainer is fat,
My sponsor is drunken and lazy.
My optometrist is as blind as a bat,
And my shrink is batshit crazy”
While much of Egghead is funny, and sometimes cynical, once in awhile, you catch a glimpse of genuine feeling, and it seems to hit you in the gut
“Little Ashley hung magazine spreads on her wall,
After picking the magazines out in the mall.
Models and actresses, singers, and more,
With cleavage and makeup and glamour galore!
All of her heroes were finally nearer.
Her whole room looked perfect-- except for the mirror”
JonArno Lawson’s Down In The Bottom Of The Bottom Of The Box, Illustrated by Alec Dempster:
“‘I’m sorry,’ Noah said, ‘we’ve taken all that we can carry,
God never said I could save anyone imaginary…’
‘Don’t worry,’ said the gryphon to the downcast dwarves and elves,
‘We’ll build another ark for our imaginary selves’”
One of my favorite things about Lawson’s style, is his ability to play with sounds. Try saying this passage aloud:
“An axe cracks the old tree-backs
and bark begins to fly:
I’ve got slivers and chips on my tongue and my lips
and a splinter in my eye”
That glimpse of emotional honesty that I mentioned in Burnham’s poetry can be found in certain Lawson poems. This poem is called “The Human Being”
“Bombard its brain with cosmic rays.
redden its eyes with Mars--
set its tiny heart ablaze
upon a heap of stars”
Tim Burton’s The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (illustrated by Burton):
Fans of Tim Burton’s unmistakable style will undoubtable fall in love with The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy. Like the other books discussed, this book of poetry is very witty and funny, but with a slightly more depressive tone.
“Stick Boy Liked Match Girl,
he liked her a lot.
He liked her cute figure,
he thought she was hot.
But could a flame ever burn
for a match and a stick?
It did quite literally;
he burned up pretty quick”
The book explores the relationship between parents and their children, and the experience of childhood. Here is a passage from a poem called “Robot Boy”
“Mr. Smith yelled at the doctor,
‘What have you done to my boy?
He’s not flesh and blood,
he’s aluminum alloy!”
The doctor said gently,
‘What I’m going to say
will sound pretty wild.
But you’re not the father
of this strange-looking child.
you see, there is still some question
about the child’s gender,
but we think that its father
is a microwave blender”Humorous poetry offers enjoyment in the form of laughter, but it can also broach certain subjects which would otherwise be tedious to discuss directly. These poems are interesting because they often seem to contain an essential emotion at their core, but are packed with wit and humor around them.
This is why they are among the most enjoyable poems to read, because they have much to offer.
