Billy Collins reads his poem "Forgetfulness." 

Maybe we can experience the loss of memory in distress and discomfort, and then make fun of it? While we are not in the river which name starts with an L yet?

@Catherine Vandagriff I'd guess the audience was quite young. For them, the subject is apparently funny. For those of us further along in life . . . not so much. I doubt Billy intended this as an exercise in humor. I agree he showed remarkable tolerance in simply going on without reacting to the totally inappropriate laughter.

@@cufflink44 Every reading of this poem I've heard from Billy Collins is punctuated with the same laughter, including Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, a show I don't associate with young people. I'm also pretty sure the line "to a little fishing village where there are no phones" is designed to evoke a smile, if not laughter. In other words, I think Collins is applying humor to a subject not known for humor, similar to some of the signs in the catacombs of Paris, and I think you need to lighten up 😉 But go ahead and tell me how the author of "I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey's Version of 'Three Blind Mice'" takes offense to people moved to laughter by his work 😆

@@tompaine4044 Thanks for your perspective, and for introducing me to “I Chop Some Parsley,” which I like a lot but definitely do not find hilarious. Having listened to this reading of “Forgetfulness” again, I feel even more strongly that the audience is clueless. I’m not saying there might not be a bit of gentle humor in the poem, but as the OP noted, it’s not stand-up comedy, not “Ha ha, isn’t it a scream when old people forget things!” As Collins said in his intro, it’s a meditation, one which I’d characterize as poignant and rather heart-breaking. Perhaps I’m hypersensitive, being in an age group vulnerable to the kinds of lapses described in the poem. But I can’t help but think that the audience is reacting to Billy Collins in a way more appropriate to, say, Ogden Nash. In any event, mileages vary, and I respect your opinion.

@@cufflink44 Hello, i found your thoughts on this interesting because i was rewatching a youtube clip earlier today of a lady visiting her ageing father who has developed Alzheimers. She passed on an enquiry from her friend as to whether he was conscious of having Alzheimer's. He replied yes - fairly levelly amf not without pluck. Moments later, that exchange seems to have already slipped his mind, leading to another iteration in a roundabout fashion. I.was reading the comments below of those caring for loved ones in a similar context and was very moved by a comment thread that touched upon the reaction of the person experiencing the memory loss. It started off with a discussion of folk who seemed fairly chilled out in this disease state. That quickly escalated to many more stories of extreme distress that were quite frightening, moving and sad, striking at the heart of what it means to be human. On the upside, there may be a new development in medication for this disease, a not-yet-approved drug which assists to break down and remove the built up protein thought to be responsible for disease progression. It doesn't stop the disrase process, but it may help slow the rate of cognitive decline in a way no other drug has been shown to do. i clicked on thumbnail when it appeared in my recommendations, also in connection with the idea of what is unforgettable. I think through this lens of potentially devastating memory loss, this poem indeed "hits differently" as the kids would say. I guess i know what you mean as laughter can be jarring in the face of poignancy. Having said that, humour and bleakness make unlikely bedfellows that are nevertheless at times very compatible. The humour does not disguise but helps take the edge off cathartic expressions of honesty. I think i know what you mean about this particular laughter. i find it hard to watch favourite old tv shows these days where they have canned laughter because it grates on me too much despite the genre. Perhaps he had been cracking a sequence of jokes just beforehand, and maybe even the sound recording and mixing are factors if that makes sense, eg perhaps with different equipment the volume of the laughtee would be less. It sounds like they were enjoying themselves tho - do you reckon it'd be a night to remember? I almost forgot to add this, but one way to contend with your awarenesz of your vulnerability in this regard may be to create a habit of writing and/or recording memories and impressions, ideas that come to you, and that sort of thing. Even if you do not return to it, potentially the act of transferring these thoughts helps to concretise memories as a cognitive process. And if not, well, you've got the record. And in a way, if you forget what you wrote, it can make for potentially interesting material to stumble across later. I find all of the different interfaces, even the difference between hand writing and typing, produce quite different mechanisms via which expression of thoughts can flow, so if one isn't feeling quite right, try another. It is one action you can take to protect certain memories. I hope this doesn't seem - well i can't remember the word i want! I couldn't sleep for 2 of the last 3 nights. My brain feels like a sieve and has nominated "effete" so there is a working example, since it doesn't encapsulate the meaning i'm reaching for but none of the googled synonyms fit the bill either! Let me try something else - i hope that unsolicited suggestion doesn't come across as vapid and beside the point. Not the words i wanted! No doubt the right word will come to me in about 3 days while i tune out performing a rote task. Sigh.. Take care, and good luck!

@@mothratemporalradio517 top notch comment right here

The truth is often funny and disturbing at the same time. That's among the many paradoxes of being human. As we realize our deterioration is inescapable we comfort ourselves with finding humor in it all. We're all in this together is what he's saying. So live with understanding, kindness and respect for others.