For years, one of the ways I use poetry open mikes is to hear the current work of writing in front of an audience, it is part of the editing process. So last night I tried a piece with a good punch line and one I thought funny. It went really well, but here's the thing, the audience was laughing to themselves when I got to the set up for the punchline, they laughed at the punchline too, but they got the joke before I laid it on them.
The question I have for myself is should I fix it or is it fine as it is, a laugh is a laugh whether it is where I want it or not? Should I allow the audience to be smarter than me or should I find a way to surprise them. I think I am leading to the former because the audience is smarter than I am.
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