Where poetry meets comedy

WHERE POETRY MEETS COMEDY: David Yezzi writes of the close relationship shared by poems and jokes; the importance of rhythm and timing, the common importance of phrasing, the careful selection of words, and the numerous techniques they both share – puns, hyperbole, etc. He concludes: "Wielding these elements with precision creates movement, and the force of that movement is conveyed to the seasoned reader, by repeated encounters with the poem. Each time through, the effect of the poem should be palpable."