THE ART OF RIBBING

why did the toilet paper roll down the hill?
because it wanted to get to the bottom
[ed: groan!]
i heard that one told by a precocious 6-year-old
in the circus tent at glastonbury
it tickled hannah
but when she tried to retell it to her grandma
it came out as:
why did the tissue paper roll down the hill?
yep
the woodle has deafen-it-ly inherited
her dad's ability to mangle a good joke:
a man goes to the doctor and says
'doctor doctor
i've got some cream up my bottom!'
[ed: bottoms again?!]
and the doctor says...
'don't worry
i've got a strawberry for that'
er...i mean...oops!
i lived with a guy once in bilbao
nick hasset by name
who had a god-given ability
to remember n retell a joke
perfect delivery and comic timing
not only in english but also in spanish
i don't know what it is with me
but my brain don't work like that
i enjoy a good tale
a witty joke
as much as the next man or woman
but try as i might
i cannae even remember me own lyrics and poetry
never mind anyone else's line in patter
quotations?
nah
plots of films?
hopeless
anecdotes?
forget it!
there must be an art to it
an art to performance in real time
a way to overcome the curse
of the clumsy guitarist
the forgetful vocalist
the punchline-pranging comedian
i dunno
i don't seem to be able to string it together
perhaps it's just a case of letting go
putting a little more of the right brain into it
or maybe simply a case of perfect makes practice