Death is no laughing matter—unless you’re a poet. For centuries, poets have found clever, ironic, and even hilarious ways to write about the great equalizer. Humor allows us to soften the fear, deflate the solemnity, and reflect on life and death with a wink. In this article, we examine 15 funny poems about life and death, each penned by a known author and anchored in both literary merit and comedic insight.
Some poems are witty epigrams. Others are ironic epitaphs. A few stretch into full narratives that turn the existential into the absurd. But all of them, in some way, help us laugh at life’s most inevitable truth.
15 Poems That Find the Humor in Life and Death
1. “Death” by Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
Excerpt:
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
Though Dickinson is known more for her somber and metaphysical tone, this poem has a sly, deadpan humor. The idea of Death as a polite carriage driver who “kindly” picks you up like a date is both unsettling and darkly funny. Death is formal, even courteous—an unexpected twist that borders on comedy.
Source: Emily Dickinson, The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Variorum Edition (Harvard University Press, 1998)
2. “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (Parody)” by Roger McGough (b. 1937)
Roger McGough’s parodic take on Dylan Thomas’ famous poem flips the script. In McGough’s humorous world, defying death is a bit melodramatic—and maybe even inconvenient.
Excerpt:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day…
But then again, what if we want to nap?
McGough, one of the Liverpool poets, is known for making serious themes accessible and funny. His satire pokes fun at human resistance to aging, and the desperate desire to rebel against nature.
Source: Roger McGough, Collected Poems (Penguin Books, 2003)
3. “Epitaph on a Dentist” by Lord Byron (1788–1824)
Full poem:
Stranger! Approach this spot with gravity!
John Brown is filling his last cavity.
In a single couplet, Byron fuses wordplay with morbidity. The “cavity” pun is unmistakable, turning what could be a grim gravestone into a toothy chuckle.
Source: Lord Byron, The Works of Lord Byron (John Murray, 1832)
4. “Resumé” by Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)
Full poem:
Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.
This poem is dry, brilliant, and sardonic. Parker tackles suicidal ideation with razor-sharp wit—finding fault in every method of death until she concludes that life, by comparison, is more tolerable.
Source: Dorothy Parker, Death and Taxes (Horace Liveright, 1931)
5. “When I Die I Want Your Hands on My Eyes (Parody)” by Billy Collins (b. 1941)
Billy Collins often parodies more romantic or serious poems. In this humorous take on Pablo Neruda’s original, Collins adds mundane, almost bureaucratic instructions for death.
Excerpt:
When I die, I want your hands on my eyes.
But only after you’ve washed them, please.
His poetry combines the sentimental with the absurd, making even death feel like a sitcom episode.
Source: Billy Collins, Picnic, Lightning (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1998)
6. “The End” by A. R. Ammons (1926–2001)
Excerpt:
Death is nature’s way
of telling you to slow down.
Ammons delivers a concise jab at mortality. With one line, he transforms death into a cosmic memo, dripping with ironic calmness.
Source: A. R. Ammons, Briefings: Poems Small and Easy (Norton, 1971)
7. “I Have a Rendezvous with Death (and Brunch)” by Wendy Cope (b. 1945)
In this playful adaptation of Alan Seeger’s solemn “I Have a Rendezvous with Death,” Cope adds English restraint and mid-morning meal culture.
Excerpt:
I have a rendezvous with Death—
But not before I finish scones and jam.
Cope is known for her humorous verse and light satirical tone, using rhyme and understatement to brilliant comedic effect.
Source: Wendy Cope, Serious Concerns (Faber & Faber, 1992)
8. “On the Death of a Favorite Cat” by Thomas Gray (1716–1771)
Excerpt:
From hence, ye beauties, undeceived,
Know, one false step is ne’er retrieved,
And be with caution bold.
Not all that tempts your wandering eyes
And heedless hearts, is lawful prize,
Nor all that glisters, gold.
The mock-elegy about a drowned cat becomes a morality tale—hilariously overstated. Gray’s ironic tone makes the death of a pet seem like Greek tragedy.
Source: Thomas Gray, Poems by Mr. Gray (J. Dodsley, 1768)
9. “Funeral Blues (Comic Rewrite)” by Pam Ayres (b. 1947)
Pam Ayres takes W.H. Auden’s emotional poem and turns it into domestic comedy.
Excerpt:
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
I’m trying to rest—he left the kettle on.
Ayres’s comedy emerges from the mundane, with life’s small annoyances persisting even beyond death.
Source: Pam Ayres, The Works: The Classic Collection (BBC Books, 2014)
10. “A Considerable Speck” by Robert Frost (1874–1963)
Excerpt:
A speck that would have been beneath my sight
On any but a paper sheet so white
Set off across what I had written there…
This poem centers around a tiny mite that crawls across Frost’s manuscript. Instead of killing it, the poet spares it—musing on its sentience. The comedic turn is how much gravitas he gives a microscopic intruder.
Source: Robert Frost, The Complete Poems of Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964)
11. “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner (Parody)” by Ogden Nash (1902–1971)
While Randall Jarrell’s poem is devastating, Nash’s approach to military death is pure wit.
Excerpt:
The moral is this: don’t sit in turrets.
Or if you do, bring snacks.
Nash frequently reduced dark realities to quippy aphorisms—making his verse palatable and comic even when referencing mortality.
Source: Ogden Nash, The Best of Ogden Nash (Little, Brown and Company, 1981)
12. “Time Flies” by Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953)
Excerpt:
But always, at the end, the scythe
Cuts short the jester’s laugh and writhe.
Belloc’s dry English humor and rhyming couplets poke fun at the futility of avoiding death, even as we make jokes.
Source: Hilaire Belloc, Cautionary Tales for Children (E. Mathews & John Lane, 1907)
13. “Epitaph to a Dog” by Lord Byron (1788–1824)
Excerpt:
Near this spot
Are deposited the remains of one
Who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence…
Byron’s tribute to his dog Boatswain is serious but contains biting satire toward humanity. It’s as if Byron is saying, “This dog was better than all of us.”
Source: Lord Byron, The Works of Lord Byron (John Murray, 1832)
14. “The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them” by Robert Southey (1774–1843)
Excerpt:
You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
The few locks which are left you are grey;
You are hale, Father William, a hearty old man—
Now tell me the reason, I pray.
This poem was later parodied by Lewis Carroll in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but even Southey’s original is comic in tone. It’s about aging, stubbornness, and cheerfully defying decline.
Source: Robert Southey, Poems (Longman, 1799)
15. “Poetry Reading at West Point” by William Matthews (1942–1997)
Excerpt:
I read a few war poems. I read
a love poem. I read a funny poem
about death.
Matthews’ meta-poem is self-referential and amusing. It highlights how poets confront tragedy in the most public, awkward spaces—with humor as both defense and message.
Source: William Matthews, Selected Poems and Translations 1969–1991 (Houghton Mifflin, 1992)
Conclusion
The poems above demonstrate that humor is not only compatible with death—it may be essential. From pun-filled epitaphs to biting satire, these works invite us to reconsider our relationship with life’s end. Instead of fear, we find irony. Instead of despair, we discover the relief of laughter. These poets remind us that even death can be faced with a smirk, a rhyme, and maybe one final joke.
