inevitability

 

From baby to boozer.

That’s how I grew to be.

Parts of me came from

dedicated malpractice,

some developed naturally—

predisposed genetically,

medical and psychological

professionals tend to agree.

.

A Jew, a Muslim and a

Christian walk into a bar.

The Jew and the Christian

order gin martinis; the

Muslim gets a Roy Rogers.

And I, the guy sitting at the

far end of the bar, forgetting

the punch line was downing

my double vodka. I tell the

barkeep to forgo pouring refills

and leave the bottle with me.

Drunk or sober, I use to

tell corny jokes

indiscriminately.

(I just love that word,

indiscriminately,

don’t you?)

Anyway, my boozing

days are over, and so is

the telling of corny jokes.

Seems that with the onset

of old age so goes the

telling of anything clever

or funny. Can’t change

some of those genetic

dispositions anymore.

Memory loss takes

over naturally, my friends.

Punch lines are lost inevitably,

and the joke turns out to be

on me.

                   -30-

Chris Hanch 8-5-202