Seriously Funny: Poems about Love, Death, Religion, Art, Politics, Sex, and Everything Else Book

Almost two hundred poems here broken into a dozen topical sections. I plowed through half the book before finding a slew of poetry that connected with me.

This anthology sought work that succeeded "on a literary as well as ha-ha level," wrote the publisher's editor who commissioned the book.

Barbara Hamby and David Kirkby, the editors of the collection, wanted seriously funny poems, not funny poems. They searched for work of literary merit that brings a smile or a laugh.

The two editors took two years to make the choices. They read the poems out loud to each other, seeking ones that made them think and laugh. Read these poems out loud, they urge. OK. Many pieces here may work well in readings or performance. But many of us read quietly, albeit at the pace of a speaker in our heads.

The poetry in this volume begins around the time of The Beats, which dates to the early fifties.

One section, Family Life And Strife, included half of the pieces that I liked in this book: "The Lanyard," by Billy Collins, became over the years familiar from his reading it on the radio. "Upon Seeing and Ultrasound Photo for an Unborn Child," a sweet and tender piece by Thomas Lux. "Not That Great of An Evening," by Mark Halliday. "Amnesty," by Carol Dennis. "I Said Yes But I Meant No," where Dean Young assigns a percent of likability to friends and couples. (Which brings to mind a theory of coupledom. Each couple expresses itself, with a total emotional capacity of a hundred percent, split between the two. But, outliers exist where the woman in a couple I know carries almost all of the emotion while the guy lives as a near flat-liner, emotionally speaking.)

The America section also included some goodies. "Naturalization Exam," a funny one by Natalie Shapero. "Immigrant Picnic," by Gregory Djanikian. "Consolation," by Billy Collins who poeticizes "… it is enough to stay home …" writing that he finds joy where he lives and does not need another tour.

The section on Poetry Goes to Work also included some fun ones. "On Being Fired Again," by Erin Belieu. "Bless Their Hearts," where Richard Newsman ponders the phrase that precedes insults and takedowns.

This book came on my radar from Planet Funny, by Ken Jennings, which mentions this anthology as a volume where five Billy Collins poems appear.