My grandfather had a deep,
rumbling way of chucking
that came from deep within
at things he found amusing –
me, mostly.

Originating in a large belly
promulgated by years
of jovial beer drinking
his chortle still echoes

When he was amused
my grandfather’s best friend
had what can be described
as a cackle– a raspy whisp
honed by unfiltered Camels
and years of oil-paint fumes

He was an easy man to amuse
and I accomplished the trick
consistently, especially when the
joke was on my grandfather

Practical, immigrant men who
saw humor in the foibles of daily life
who taught me how to be in
on the joke, and on top of the joke
much of the fun was simply
in hearing them laugh

Both of them long since gone
I see things that I know they would
find absurd, or amusing and I
can hear them both guffawing in
their own unique ways and I
often find it funny that is their
merriment that still amuses me.

– Mark L. Lucker
© 2022
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