I’m pretty sure that these folks are on their way home. The woman holding what looks like an oversized book is actually reading something we once called a newspaper. Years ago, many people would keep up on all the news and other current events with these bulky papers. When I was a kid, my dad asked me, “What’s black and white and red all over?” The answer: a newspaper. At one time, newspapers were only printed in black and white. And people would read them, hence they would be ‘read’ all over. One can’t tell that joke today and expect a laugh.
Meditation Series
Pen and Ink Sketch
© 2024 Jack Davis
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I remember when I first heard that joke. I was in kindergarten and one of my friends’ parents told it. And then explained it since we were so little. I don’t know how the joke came to be told in the first place but I know it was the first time I understood about the idea of wordplay and I was just delighted. If you told me that joke today I’d be smiling for so many reasons!
Thanks, Claudia. I was also very young when my father told me that joke. It was among the first of a long line of puns and shaggy dog stories from my Dad.