> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hawkword.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The Setup
- URL: https://www.hawkword.com/poetry/the-setup/
- Published: 2024-10-14T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-10-14T12:00:00.000Z
- Description: So stop me if you've heard this one before: A minister, a rabbi, and a priest, each in their role, religious to the core, and gathering together for a feast, to labor as a setup for a joke. The subject matter doesn't...
- Author: A. Gee
- Tags: Poetry, Sonnet, Allpoetry Import, #Import 2026-04-25 19:56

So stop me if you've heard this one before:  
A minister, a rabbi, and a priest,  
each in their role, religious to the core,  
and gathering together for a feast,  
to labor as a setup for a joke.  
The subject matter doesn't even matter:  
they'll ridicule the sleeping or the woke  
at fundraisers, a thousand bucks a platter,  
perform at a bar mitzvah or a wedding,  
guffaws from the appreciating crowd,  
when all else fails make mention of the bedding,  
or stray a bit off-color if allowed.  
And later, if it's not a bridge too far,  
you'll find that they have walked into a bar.