""All of us ought to be ready to laugh at ourselves,"" wrote theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, ""because all of us are a little funny in our foibles, conceits, and pretensions."" Yes, to a greater or lesser extent, we all belong to Hypocrites Anonymous. Laughter helps us to preserve sanity in a crazed world; provides the lubrication we so desperately need to deal with irritating people and situations. Furthermore, it accents our need for humility by pricking the balloons of vain pretension.

These vivid poems are thick with allusions to literature, theology, spirituality, history, and legend. They...