Sunday Focus: Deliver Some Punishment
Photo by Meg Boscov
[Editor’s Note: This ongoing Sunday feature pairs photographs from Meg Boscov with a thought (or two) from the managing editor about focusing on tiny things to find something significant. Click on the picture itself to view at full size.]
I saw this photograph of a White Swan Coneflower looking down upon another White Swan Coneflower, I immediately thought of this sentimental quote: I’m sure wherever my dad is he’s looking down on us… he’s not dead… just very condescending.
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The one-liner might be the “joke” equivalent of the micro fiction or the macro photo. Pith and power pack its punch. It redirects your attention quickly and sharply. It makes the very small very signficant.
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When I was a boy, I would lay in my twin sized bed and wonder where my brother was. — Mitch Hedberg
Sarah Silverman (book titles): The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee.
So I’m at the wailing wall, standing there like a moron, with my harpoon. — Emo Philips
I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. — Steven Wright
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During my teens, while my friends were being punished for underage drinking or staying out past curfew, I was kicked out of the house for my father for punning. No joke.
I told him, on my way out, that I’d go to the pharmacy for some pun-icillion.
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I’d like to think that halfway through Nicole Kidman’s last name there’s a tiny bar mitzvah. — Megan Amran
How to make a million dollars: First, get a million dollars. — Steve Martin
The worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades. – Demetri Martin
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“Humor is an excellent part of life,” writes William Berry in Psychology Today. “Laughing leads to increased pleasure, more enjoyment, and a happier life. At times, humor is certainly used to mask underlying ‘truths’ of the individual. In other instances, it is simply an outrageous thought leading to humor. Often, it is simply a reflection of our human desire to connect and experience joy. You do not have to give credence to every thought you have. One would benefit from evaluating his or her thinking and determining personal truth. Hopefully, that truth leads to joy, for both you and others.”
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“I’m here today,” says stand-up Wanda Sykes, “because I hated everything else.” At the other end of the joke, we find the comedian, spilling out line after line, hoping one connects.
A punch line.
When I said I was going to become a comedian, they all laughed. Well, they’re not laughing now, are they? — Bob Monkhouse
This week’s image implores you to deliver a knockout punch by throwing a one-liner at the appropriate time. Such a process, of course, means that you memorize a few, or write them down with your puncil.
Also look for an opening to create your own. Do this enough times, and you’ll become punstoppable.
Two cannibals are eating a clown, and one looks at the other and says, Does this taste funny to you?
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Meg Boscov is a photographer who lives and works outside of Philadelphia where she continues to pursue her careers in animal-assisted education and dog training. She can be reached on instagram at megboscov.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.
Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
Upcoming
11/10 • Liz Abrams-Morley
11/17 • Alison Colwell
11/24 • Lucy Zhang
12/01 • Salvatore Difalco
12/08 • Rowan Tate
12/15 • Isabelle Ness
12/22 • Catherine Bai
12/29 • Stephan Viau
01/05 • Allison Blevins
01/12 • Bryn Kanar
01/19 • Yejun Chun
01/26 • TBD
02/02 • TBD
02/09 • TBD
02/16 • TBD
02/23 • TBD