watching a comedy show on tv

thought i’d make up for lost laughs

bide the lonely evening thus

 

everyone loves a wedding joke

people and flowers

and happy colours

food and dance

faith strengthened 

by drunken dizziness

 

so i sat

all set to laugh

a party bedecked by lights

and the joke began

 

a joke about

happy bulbs

celebrating.

just a touch 

a switch

and brightness spread

 

and then he looked past

the joker

at them flickering tubes

struggling to be in the scene

 

oh i get it

i thought

its a joke about watching from outside

thats 

well

kind of funny

 

trying hard to get to the light

watch them tubes

he said,

stuttering to start

cursed children of god

watch their broken smiles

while others

light up with a grin.

 

they must stay there

then

in the back

for only the happy make it to the line

 

it made me sad

the joke about stuttering tubelights.

 

but i guess thats the way it is

sad to some

is happy to others.

 

(Raju Srivastava mouthed this joke on a popular tv show)