Pluperfect

The Poetry Thursday prompt this week is for a humorous poem, or a poem which tells a joke.

NOTE 1: The poem starts off with one of my favourite jokes ever. No one to whom I have told it has ever thought that it was funny.

NOTE 2: Scrod is a fish which is associated with New England.

Pluperfect

This guy is visiting Boston for the first time.
He gets into a taxi and says to the driver,
“Do you know where I can get scrod?”
The driver says, “I’ve heard that question a million times,
but never in the pluperfect subjunctive.”

Taxi drivers are the Buddha.
Bartenders are the Buddha.

The meaning is, "Hey, buddy,
why are you tying yourself in knots
over something so
subject-verb-object
as conjugation, anyway?
Do I have to draw you a diagram?"

The man in the back seat realises
that pluperfect is too much to ask
and achieves nirvana.
He leaves without giving a tip.

10 comments:

Regina said...

I get the joke and what a clever job you did! I really enjoyed this!

GreenishLady said...

I laughed. Out loud. I love that joke (but I won't remember the punchline, unfortunately). You do such a nice job of incorporating it in the poem.

Rob Kistner said...

Funny little verse Nancy.

Everyone knows you ask the concierge if you're looking to get scrod. :)

Lisa Cohen said...

I liked this very much. Maybe because I live in the Boston area. :)

Enjoyed!

best,
ljc

Jessica said...

This is very unique... I got love grammar humor!

Catherine said...

Well, I thought it was funny. I did need the explanation of what scrod was, though.

Blondie said...

I think I get it... but then again, maybe I am taking after my name.

:) blondie

Crafty Green Poet said...

well I laughed! Hilarious joke! I liked the way you built your poem around it too. I'll be chuckling all week, thanks!

chicklegirl said...

I like the pun on "conjugation" in relation to sex:

"why are you tying yourself in knots
over something so
subject-verb-object
as conjugation"

Very funny!

Santosh said...

hee haa

whata wonderful and beautiful jokes i like it