Difference In Taste Poem by gershon hepner

A difference in the taste of jokes
always places a great strain
on people who have tried to coax
a laugh from listeners who complain,
“I do not think that’s funny.” How
can friendship live without the laughter
from those whom you have tried to wow,
not shaking maybe rooftop rafter,
but causing them to chuckle somewhat?
Far worse than insults or than blows is
the silence from a joke amusing not
the audience you have blown like noses.

Inspired by a quotation from George Eliot’s “Daniel Deronda, ” sent to me by Linda: “A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.”


1/6/08