Did You Hear the One About…

Old jokes tend to come around again,
      Again…
           And yet again,
Taking slightly different twists and turns
To find familiar ends,
Hoping for a belly laugh,
A smile
Or maybe just a grin,
Told by strangers in a crowd, or
Shared in secret with a friend.

All God’s children love to laugh at
Quips or capers,
          Prank or pun,
Silly little anecdotal memories
Relayed in fun.
Whether to an audience of fifty million,
Or just one,
Lifts a world from darkness
With a candy-coated slice of sun.
Makes a gleeful spirit shout,
“Hey, did you hear the one about…”