bad joke

“Sticks and stones,” they used to say

But words were the ones that carved the clay

Laughed it off, passed it down

Hatred wrapped in a circus clown

They called it humor, called it light

But it taught a child how to spite

Behind the punchline, behind the grin

Was a seed of shame planted deep within

It’s a bad joke — and it ain’t funny

It’s poison passed off like sweet honey

Every laugh was a loaded gun

Teaching kids how hate is spun

It’s a bad joke — and we all knew

But silence made it feel like truth

Now we’re choking on the smoke

Of every bad, bad joke

Lunchroom echoes, locker talk

“Just kidding” carved into the chalk

But every slur, every cruel jest

Left a bruise beneath the vest

Words don’t break bones, they break trust

They turn hearts bitter, turn love to dust

And when the joke becomes the norm

The storm don’t need a uniform

It’s a bad joke — passed like tradition

A mask for hate, a quiet admission

We laughed, we flinched, we looked away

But the pain still learned to stay

It’s a bad joke — and it’s time to speak

To break the cycle, to lift the weak

No more laughing just to cope

We bury every bad, bad joke

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