The Backporch Review 2022

Stuck in Jokes and Rotting Laughter
By Natalie O’Keefe, 10
One with nothing opts for the status of the Funny Friend.
Jokes thrown across the table born out of self-loathing,
jabs at the room that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks
met with laughter that confirms one’s part in all of this.
Because what is living without the validation
of making somebody else smile?
Yet on bad nights, the one who holds this position
clings to an empty voicemail box,
rusting static in escaped greetings
and goodbyes held at an arm's length.
For somebody who doesn’t answer a single phone call,
they crave nothing more than to know somebody notices.
Nobody ever does.
The walls of inboxes rot and mold
and the chime of a new text message is suddenly foreign,
and suddenly the world stops caring.
Jokes expire and laughter trickles to a drought
and their voice grows silent.
There is comfort in this tragic decline
and eventually, the drip finally stops.
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