Writing Humor Poetry

Original poem included - Serious Business:  Food Fight in Louisina

Why not humor poetry? As the ancient proverb from many cultures teaches, humor is good for the soul and brings the gift of merriment to the heart. That ancient proverb is right on target. Modern science has discovered humor also is good for balancing our health: the body's immune system via our emotions.

Need another reason? How about just to amuse yourself! If you write a lot it is a great holiday away from long hours of researching and writing about serious subjects. It gives new meaning to daydreaming and doodling that can end up a productive write!

Three ideas for your own humor poetry

So what am I supposed to do, write a joke? You can but I have one idea where you can chronicle some local history and be funny at the same time. Can't think of any at the moment? Visit your local library. Write about amusing stories in your area known as "local color." Ghost stories are very popular, making them campy, rather than the usual expected horror, and a fun twist.

Idea number two is to chronicle amusing family stories. If you like genealogy like I do then it is a useful way to document moments in your life or that of various relatives for future generations to enjoy. We have a few of those family stories from my grandfather who grew up in Kentucky. The Lyon side of the family is known for "telling a good yarn" as the reputation goes, sometimes disparaged, more often admired.

Recently, as idea number three, I decided to tell a short tale of a tiny amusing moment in time that happened during the week after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast here in Louisiana (September 2008). Some of the best stories in life are the little domestic funnies that happen in our own houses.

Rhyming comes or it doesn't; don't worry about it and just let things flow as you recount an amusing memory in your life. I had some fun with the word arrangement and a small amount of dialect; read that as "lazy language." It also creates a faster scan and read for the busy reader; everybody wins.

Let me set this up for you. It was over a week after the hurricane hit. Our power was restored but we were unable to go anywhere as the majority of the roads were not cleared of huge fallen trees. The officials asked everyone to stay at home unless they were emergency personnel going to work. Curfew was also in effect.

By now we had cabin fever and were low on food items as this was twelve days after the hurricane hit. I usually stock up the pantry for a two week supply, anticipating the unavailable resources like groceries, ice and fuel. It's a good idea because other people who do not prepare tend to go into a buying frenzy at the last minute before the hurricane is due to hit landfall. They clean out the shelves quickly, leaving grocery stores to look like ghost towns.

How many canned items, peanut butter, crackers and sandwiches can a person eat? My husband was in the mood for a hot meal from the oven. Cranky, he started rummaging through the pantry to find his favorites and none were to be found as those disappeared into meals earlier in the week. By now I was a bit concerned as to the food supply and knew it was time to get creative. There is nothing like a pantry challenge now is there? Finding the most bizarre combinations, I soon figured out how to tie them together. Grinning, I knew this could be turned into a surprisingly tasty hot meal. I also knew the Big Sell was about to occur with The Husband Who Whines.

***

Poem

Serious Business: Food Fight in Louisiana

What cha making?

High protein casserole.

It feels like a pantry challenge;

It's that kind of day.

Wrinkling his nose,

Oh... ugh,

I don't want THAT...

Uh, huh, she ignores,

It'll taste good.

But I don't like

Casseroles,

He whines.

Me neither.

We're eating

Out of the pantry.

It could be worse!

Gag!

Leftovers

In a casserole;

That's the pits!

This is gourmet

The best of dining!

Fresh dried,

Fresh canned,

Formerly fresh frozen

About two weeks ago.

House Chef wryly

Smiles.

As House Chef is busy,

Sweating down

The vegetables and spices...

The Husband asks,

What's in it?

Don't ask.

Well, something

Smells good.

Garlic.

Oooh, yeah,

Garlic makes it all

Taste good.

Licking his lips

In anticipation,

What else is in there?

You'll see.

Well, I do see bits of

Beautiful red onion.

I like red onions!

Uh, huh.

Got celery?

Uh, huh.

What else?

You'll see.

Looking into

The lighted oven,

The Husband remarks,

I spy Colby Jack cheese

Melting on the top

And oozing over the sides.

Sure smells good!

I'm hungry!

Let me taste.

As the timer goes off,

House Chef dons

Her thick black oven mitts

And

Tantalizingly

Pulls the

Bubbling

Garlicky

Casserole

From the hot oven.

After all,

Anticipation and

Presentation is

Half the battle for

The food picky.

House Chef admonishes,

Just wait for it to cool a bit;

We'll leave it here

On the gas burner grate

And let it set up a bit

Before serving.

How long?

Ten minutes.

It isn't that long.

Go get the glasses filled

To the top with ice and

Pour the combination

Herbal spearmint and

Luzianne hot black tea,

So refreshing

On a hot summer day.

House Chef begins

To spoon into the dish,

Serving his impatient palate.

The Husband ogles,

I see tiny bits of salami!

What else?

Lifting small spoon

To his noisy mouth,

House Chef Orders,

Taste.

Damn! That's really good!

Fill the plate!

So, what's in it?

It's good for you.

So, what's in it?

Don't ask.

So, what's in it?

I'll tell you later.

Really,

It's better that way,

Winks

The

Winning

House

Chef.

Blogs by Denny Lyon

These blogs are where I park my HubPage hubs/articles/recipes. Also, lots of cool photos from our friends over at flickr as I like to promote the photographers who graciously allow use of their photos in the Creative Commons area to online writers. Lots of good quotes, poems, resources and recipes.

The Social Poets - a blog to read poetry, nonjudgmental place for aspiring writers, also online coffeehouse for discussing the social issues in a convivial atmosphere.

The Soul Calendar - wondering about the Universe without as well as within:  psychology, astronomy, physics, neuroscience and more.

The Healing Waters - a welcoming place to stress down and approach health from many angles, healthy recipes too.

Romancing The Chocolate – yummy photos, recipes and just plain fun. Quotes illustrated with chocolate photos to make you laugh!

Comfort Food From Louisiana – yummy easy comfort food recipes, photos of New Orleans, history and cultural traditions of south Louisiana.

*** Thank you for visiting and a big thank you to HubPages, Yahoo, Google, AOL, Mister Wong, Facebook and StumbleUpon readers for all your great support!

Hope you enjoyed! For another grin, take a look at one of my own photos of my best critic who helps edit those 1st and 2nd drafts as he is quite discriminating!

hub #3