Munday on Monday: Theft of quip

You’re in a group or maybe crowd:

Some flash of wit you’ll say out loud,

Yet no one heard your quip, it seems;

But then another person beams

And says (in a much louder tone)

The very quip you thought your own!

And even though you first had said it,

That person gets the laugh — and credit!

But if you balk, “I said that first!”

They’ll think you petty, vain, or worse.

So silently you bite your lip

When victimized by theft of quip.

Don Munday

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Munday on Monday: Theft of quip."