Explore "The Dead Joke and the Funny Man" by James Whitcomb Riley on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Long years ago, a funny man, / Flushed with a strange delight, / Sat down and wrote a funny thing / All in the solemn night; / And as he wrote he clapped his hands / And laughed with all his might. / For it was such a funny thing, / O, such a very funny thing, / This wonderfully funny thing, / He / Laughed / Outright.
And so it was this funny man / Printed this funny thing -- / Forgot it, too, nor ever thought / It worth remembering, / Till but a day or two ago. / (Ah! what may changes bring! ) / He found this selfsame funny thing / In an exchange -- "O, funny thing! " / He cried, "You dear old funny thing! " / And / Sobbed / Outright.