William Neuenfeldt
The Day We Stopped Laughing
Larger than life
but even larger in death
as bacteria ballooned
his comical physique.
Above his belly a bible
hugged his chest,
each page grasping for answers
instead of solving problems.
Known for funny faces,
someone pressed pause
and his emotional slight
of hand was revealed,
for someone who could
light up a live audience,
his spirits cast darker shadows
on the stage of studio 8H.
About the writer:
Will Neuenfeldt studied English at Gustavus Adolphus College and his poems will be published in Red Flag Poetry, Gyroscope Review, and Freeze Ray. He lives in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, home of Steven Stifler and a house Teddy Roosevelt slept in.
Image: Variété by Richard Bergh (1858-1919). No medium specified. No size specified. 1887. Public domain.
