Poetry & Meaning
Poems About Laughter
Funny PoemsMy Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Overview Short Summary
This childlike poem finds humor in a shadow that grows, shrinks, follows too closely, and sleeps in.
Use Case Best For
- Poems about laughter for kids: Gentle humor from a familiar everyday thing.
- Funny poems about laughter: The poem uses observation to create smiles.
- Poems about happiness for kids: Light and playful.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
Curious, playful, observational, and gently funny.
Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
- Personification: The shadow acts like a child.
- Comparison: It grows like an india-rubber ball.
- Child voice: The speaker explains the world in a playful way.
Search Intent Keyword Connection
Targets poems about laughter for kids, funny poems about laughter, poems about happiness for kids, and poems about smiles for kids.
There was an Old Man with a beard
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared!—
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!”
Overview Short Summary
A quick comic poem where birds build nests in a man’s beard.
Use Case Best For
- Short funny poems about laughter: Quick comic poem with a clear joke.
- Poems about laughter for kids: Easy to read aloud and remember.
- Poems about making people laugh: Built around absurd behavior or image.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
Short, silly, rhythmic, and read-aloud friendly.
Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
- Limerick form: Five short lines create a fast comic shape.
- Rhyme: The sound pattern helps make the poem memorable.
- Nonsense detail: The poem uses one strange image or behavior for humor.
Search Intent Keyword Connection
Targets short funny poems about laughter, poems about laughter for kids, poems about making people laugh, short laughter poems, and poems about laughter under 10 lines.
There was an Old Man with a nose
There was an Old Man with a nose,
Who said, “If you choose to suppose,
That my nose is too long,
You are certainly wrong!”
That remarkable Man with a nose.
Overview Short Summary
A funny poem about a man proudly defending his remarkable nose.
Use Case Best For
- Short funny poems about laughter: Quick comic poem with a clear joke.
- Poems about laughter for kids: Easy to read aloud and remember.
- Poems about making people laugh: Built around absurd behavior or image.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
Short, silly, rhythmic, and read-aloud friendly.
Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
- Limerick form: Five short lines create a fast comic shape.
- Rhyme: The sound pattern helps make the poem memorable.
- Nonsense detail: The poem uses one strange image or behavior for humor.
Search Intent Keyword Connection
Targets short funny poems about laughter, poems about laughter for kids, poems about making people laugh, short laughter poems, and poems about laughter under 10 lines.
There was an Old Man in a tree
There was an Old Man in a tree,
Who was horribly bored by a Bee;
When they said, “Does it buzz?”
He replied, “Yes, it does!
It’s a regular brute of a Bee!”
Overview Short Summary
A bee bothers a man in a tree, creating a simple buzzing joke.
Use Case Best For
- Short funny poems about laughter: Quick comic poem with a clear joke.
- Poems about laughter for kids: Easy to read aloud and remember.
- Poems about making people laugh: Built around absurd behavior or image.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
Short, silly, rhythmic, and read-aloud friendly.
Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
- Limerick form: Five short lines create a fast comic shape.
- Rhyme: The sound pattern helps make the poem memorable.
- Nonsense detail: The poem uses one strange image or behavior for humor.
Search Intent Keyword Connection
Targets short funny poems about laughter, poems about laughter for kids, poems about making people laugh, short laughter poems, and poems about laughter under 10 lines.
There was an Old Man with a flute
There was an Old Man with a flute,
A sarpint ran into his boot;
But he played day and night,
Till the sarpint took flight,
And avoided that man with a flute.
Overview Short Summary
A snake in a boot is chased away by endless flute music.
Use Case Best For
- Short funny poems about laughter: Quick comic poem with a clear joke.
- Poems about laughter for kids: Easy to read aloud and remember.
- Poems about making people laugh: Built around absurd behavior or image.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
Short, silly, rhythmic, and read-aloud friendly.
Poetry Craft Poetic Devices
- Limerick form: Five short lines create a fast comic shape.
- Rhyme: The sound pattern helps make the poem memorable.
- Nonsense detail: The poem uses one strange image or behavior for humor.
Search Intent Keyword Connection
Targets short funny poems about laughter, poems about laughter for kids, poems about making people laugh, short laughter poems, and poems about laughter under 10 lines.
Continue Reading
Related Poems & Articles
More selected reading from Funny Poems.
