EXIT LAUGHING

I'll laugh in the face of the Grim Reaper --
Chuckle as they carry me away,

The funniest sight in all of Creation
Is myself -- a comic all the way,

A fall from my tricycle at five years of age
Got laughs, but meant a stay in St. Ignatius --

A little abscess -- the first of my life --
Marred my new earthly body, "Goodness gracious,"

I snickered as I awaited a ride to the doctor --
A fractured tibia in forty-seven,

I wondered, "Can I whistle like my father dear?"
And I did -- may he rest in Heaven,

I won't laugh in church so just bury me
With a simple graveside ceremony,

Put a "Vibroplex Bug" in my carpal-tunneled right hand --
A feather in my cap and call me, "Marconi."

by D. Edgar Murray 04/20/2000.