How many Laughs?
by 'Hazel nutter'
also known as Angela Lansbury
Today I decided I ought to save
My great jokes to leave beyond the grave
If you can't yet sing, song-write or paint
No use dreaming what you could create
The only thing that we all can do
If we can't tell lies from what is true
When lawyers and tax split your pennies in half
The only thing you can leave is a laugh
How many laughs will you leave behind
Can you entertain the deaf and blind
The widow and the widower
The employee and the employer
The orphaned, lonely, or crowded out
The undecided and deeply devout
To entertain both him and her
And those confused but willing to share
Those who frown with pencil raised
And those who gush with endless praise
And those who curse, this isn't verse
And those who shrug, it could be worse
The paralysed and the amputee
Examiner and examinee
Not only them but you and me
Yes, we, often neglected, ordinary
How much time do you need to spend
Making sure that you don't offend
One puzzled, cross, glaring or staring
In the crowd of those gleefully nudging and sharing
Will you leave behind a simple snigger
A smile and nod - or something bigger
Repeating jokes often told before
But twisted to add a tickle more
A laugh as loud as a deep guffaw
That's sure to rise to a riotous roar
A joke winning friends, raising funds for a cause
Extended 'til givers give you applause
For children, toddlers, women and men
A joke once heard, often re-told, again
Which sends a smile to brighten a day
A smile which stays wide and won't drift away
I would love to be one of the best
I can't help smile when I think of Mae West
Her jokes are subtle, though slightly rude
Her jokes grow good health, they're mental food
How many laughs can you leave behind
Let them tumble joyfully out of your mind
Write, spread joy's what you're meant to do
The returning reader who laughs could be you..
-ends-
28 April 2020
by 'Hazel nutter'
also known as Angela Lansbury
Today I decided I ought to save
My great jokes to leave beyond the grave
If you can't yet sing, song-write or paint
No use dreaming what you could create
The only thing that we all can do
If we can't tell lies from what is true
When lawyers and tax split your pennies in half
The only thing you can leave is a laugh
How many laughs will you leave behind
Can you entertain the deaf and blind
The widow and the widower
The employee and the employer
The orphaned, lonely, or crowded out
The undecided and deeply devout
To entertain both him and her
And those confused but willing to share
Those who frown with pencil raised
And those who gush with endless praise
And those who curse, this isn't verse
And those who shrug, it could be worse
The paralysed and the amputee
Examiner and examinee
Not only them but you and me
Yes, we, often neglected, ordinary
How much time do you need to spend
Making sure that you don't offend
One puzzled, cross, glaring or staring
In the crowd of those gleefully nudging and sharing
Will you leave behind a simple snigger
A smile and nod - or something bigger
Repeating jokes often told before
But twisted to add a tickle more
A laugh as loud as a deep guffaw
That's sure to rise to a riotous roar
A joke winning friends, raising funds for a cause
Extended 'til givers give you applause
For children, toddlers, women and men
A joke once heard, often re-told, again
Which sends a smile to brighten a day
A smile which stays wide and won't drift away
I would love to be one of the best
I can't help smile when I think of Mae West
Her jokes are subtle, though slightly rude
Her jokes grow good health, they're mental food
How many laughs can you leave behind
Let them tumble joyfully out of your mind
Write, spread joy's what you're meant to do
The returning reader who laughs could be you..
-ends-
28 April 2020
