Smoke leaves everyday

I would like to discuss my favorite comment chain.

It consists of three comments:

Smoke leaves everyday

But where does it go?

home

Let’s break it down.

Smoke leaves everyday

I don’t think this cliche requires much explanation.

But where does it go?

A witty response. By changing “leaves” from a noun to a verb, the meaning of the question entirely changes. One of my favorite things in the world is finding art or wit where one would not expect. This takes a typical, mindless response and makes it funny.

home

Also funny, because it’s the logical answer to the question. Where does anything go at the end of the day? Of course, “home”.

Only when a ridiculous answer is provided do we start actually considering the rhetorical question, just where does smoke go? Smoke disappears into nothingness. Or more accurately, it disperses across everything to the point where it can no longer be called smoke. It changes forms. If “home” is a place that you came from and return to, then sure, that is smoke’s home.

But really.. Everything undergoes this transformation. Humans do it. The earth itself will do it. And they do it a little bit everyday. Attaching the word “home” and all of the connotations it brings to this process is something that I find comforting.

So it is apt that this is the final comment in the chain. It starts as a mundane, thoughtless thing, changes forms into something funny and worthy of your attention, and then once more to finish as something a little bit profound.

Now you will close the page, and it will be gone.