Can’t you take a joke, kid?

Look, I was only teasing.
C’mon, it’s all in fun.
You got no sense of humor?
Aren’t we the touchy one!

But I don’t find it funny.
I guess I missed the joke.
Thought if I say that outright,
They’ll laugh until they croak.

Hey! Can’t you take a joke, kid?
Are jokes supposed to hurt?
I fail to see the humor.
You called me “stupid jerk”!

My! Your skin is awfully thin.
Stop getting so perturbed.
Hello! We all have feelings!
I guess you haven’t heard.

What side did you get out of bed?
Why can’t you let me be?
Because you’re really fun to bug.
It’s awesome, can’t you see?

Could be you find it funny.
Perhaps you cannot learn.
But history has a nasty way,
Of making it your turn.

by Andrea Wilson

Topics for discussion:

• The last stanza is reminiscent of the expressions: “What goes around, come around.” and “You reap what you sow.” Discuss what this means.
• Joking is a healthy way of having fun amongst friends. Taunting is verbal bullying. What differentiates one from the other? (Joking: does not intend to hurt anyone, makes both parties laugh, involves the participation of both parties, does not demean anyone, and stops when one person becomes upset. Taunting: aims to hurt someone, is not funny to the target, is purely one-sided, is cruel and humiliating, and escalated if the target becomes upset.)

Classroom Activities:

• Draw two comic-strips. One demonstrates two friends joking in a friendly fashion. The other depicts a bully taunting someone.
• Write a list of things you don’t like to be teased about. How would it make you feel if someone did tease you about one of those things? What might you say or do to make them stop?
• In teams of two, act out the poem. One of you says the text in regular font and the other says the part in italics.