Better Left Unsaid

I've been a freelance cartoonist for over twenty years. Because of the nature of my profession, clients contact me when they're in need of odd material. It's mostly upbeat, quirky cartoons that they're looking for me to illustrate. Not the kind of stuff you'd see the need for advertising a... oooh, let's say funeral home. Despite the lighthearted nature of my work, I still will cross the line of business propriety.  A lot of verbal junk spills out of my mouth that, in hindsight, should be left unsaid. Sometimes, it's intentional and sometimes it most certainly is not. It's an occupational hazard.

Quite a few years ago, I was talking on the phone with a new client from an advertising agency. During our discussion, the art director asked me if I read poetry?

I asked, "You mean like There Once Was a Man from Nantucket?"

She burst out laughing. The client knew the whole limerick. I didn't. I knew just the first line. After we hung up, I figured it might be a good idea for me to google the poem and read the sucker.

There once was a man from Nantucket
Whose dick was so long he could suck it.
And he said with a grin
As he wiped off his chin
If my ear was a cunt, I would fuck it.

I immediately called her back and apologized big time.