My friend Annette posted a few days back about National Limerick Day, hoping for me to join in… well, I’m not one to disappoint!
I love limericks. Hopefully this will inspire you to try one too 🙂
Some say the secret, or trick,
To writing a great limerick
Is keeping rhythm and rhyme
Simply sublime
And some humour gives it a kick!
Limericks can be used for a variety of styles, from the serious:
A man walking alongside the road
Was stewing on what he was owed
He looked to the skies
With tears in his eyes
For the mind bears the heaviest load
To the “clever”… this explains enjambment:
Running words from one line to next
Is a challenge that’s leaving me vexed
It’s so hard to do
Right, it’s making me blue
Next time I’ll stick to free text!
To the creepy:
Within the wood so dark and deep
Where no spider dares to creep
The air is silent; deathly still:
There is a purple daffodil
That holds the key to “beauty’s” sleep…
To a selfie:
A dashing young chap named Al
Was searching for life’s rationale
He found it through rhyming
(And occasional timing)
Claiming “it’s good for morale”!
To the more “adult” humour…
A peculiar space-thing from Venus
Had an incredible penis
When he rolled out his schlong
It was thirty feet long…
But the sight of it resulted in green-ness!
So, the moral of the story is… just give it a go!
Even if not a poeting Brit
There’s a limerick that surely will fit
Whatever your mood,
Quiet or rude
And it may be the best ever writ!
I’d love to hear your limericks (or links to them) in the comments. What’ve you got to lose? 😀
Picture credit: flickr.com/photos/lorika/4148390619
There was an old poet named Rik,
Who never ever wrote a limerick.
One day he said fine
I’ll give it a try
Proving you can show an old dog a new trick.
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Perfect!
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Awesome collection of limericks, call me inspired! 😀
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Thanks Ginni. I’d love to see what you’d do with a limerick or two 🙂
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You are so funny, Al! You make my day, as a comic and a poet! 🙂 I’ll pass on my own limerick right now, since the sun is out and it is the last beautiful day, so I have to go outside and turn this darn computer off! I’m sure I could have turned this text into a little poem, if I really tried.
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Liesbet thought about writing a rhyme
But decided she hadn’t the time
So she went in the sun
To have lots of fun…
But ended up covered in slime!
😉
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Coming in about 10 minutes 😃
And wow, what a collection from you! 😍
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Thanks Meg – didn’t think you’d skip today either! 🙂
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Ha, not a chance! 😜
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😀
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This post set my mind in motion
I’ll admit I liked the notion
So I tried on a whim,
The result is quite grim
Now let me find that glasses prescription!
https://dawnsnight.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/national-limerick-day/
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Ha ha!
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It’s not funny, I can’t see a damn thing!
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But you’ve turned that into something positive! You have my sympathies on the glasses front. I wear contacts all the time, and am blind as a bat without them x
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Well, I don’t even have a second pair to tie me up, so I’ll have to try and get them to hurry things so I can see properly next week. I hope I don’t have to drive too much over the weekend!
But yes, I’m not letting it get me down! Let’s keep smiling 🙂
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Brilliant, Al! Such a great collection. How I love limericks and their rhythm.
I’ve always wanted to meet her,
the maid of iambic meter.
She dances along
in poem and song,
I heard a drummer once beat her.
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I love this one… limericks are perfect vehicles for this sort of wordplay. Thanks Ryan 🙂
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Brilliant, Ryan! 🙂
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Thank you, Judy 🙂
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Ok, so limericks are maybe more versatile than I thought – nice post, with great examples that made me smile 🙂
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They are versatile. Maybe they only work because of the expectation of humour, but you can go against that and twist it to your purpose as well, and deliberately frustrate those expectations 🙂
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I’ve done three limerick posts today – here are the links – thanks Al! 🙂
https://imageandword.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/national-limerick-day/
https://imageandword.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/daily-prompt-generation-take-iii/
https://imageandword.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/rumour-mongers-beware/
They’re my first attempt at limericks, and I have to say I’ve had fun with them all 🙂
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These are really good Ruth. There’s a weekly limerick challenge that you might enjoy if you get a taste for it 🙂
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Hmmm, I might just have to take a look at that… 🙂
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This is the link to the latest week. This is the first one I haven’t entered in a while, ironically! It’s a very friendly group 🙂
https://mindandlifematters.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/limerick-challenge-week-19-mother/
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Thanks Al – I’ll definitely take a look! 🙂
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😀
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A writer addicted to prose
Decided to wet her toes
Challenge by Al
Her poetry pal
A rhyme from the tip of her nose
I love your selection, Al. Too many good ones to pick a favorite!
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Love it! I hope you continue on this path to the dark side (ie writing poetry rather than prose) 😉
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That was fun but took me about 45 minutes! I need more coffee 😀
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Poetry is a very inefficient medium – time spent versus output is ridiculous sometimes!
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Wow! I am so pleased. Al, you are so gifted. What a fabulous collection of energy here.
So, there’s this guy, named Alistair,
Seems to pull rhymes out of thin air
he writes like a pro
and you know how that goes
He;s always something remarkable to share!
Carry on! ❤
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What would I do without my cheerleader-in-chief? ❤
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Ooh, that could get ugly.. so let’s never explore that too deep ❤
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Ha ha! Agreed ❤
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Pingback: National Limerick Day! | Annette Rochelle Aben
Well, I might try later but it seems you’ve taken all the good ones already 😀
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I’m pretty sure there are plenty of good ones left… maybe something about a Corvette? 😉
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Hahaha, Prince said it the best!
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Maybe… but he never said it as a limerick (not as I recall it anyway)!
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True!
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Fabulous! I think I feel inspiration.
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Run with it!… bet you’ve got something to say about work in a limerick or two 😉
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😜😜😜
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Love
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Yay!
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Limericks are fun
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They’re like tasty little snack treats for the mind 🙂
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So true.
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A brown haired girl liked to bake
Cookies and bread she would make
But without an oven
She cried and gave no doughy lovin’
To the boy whose laughs made her shake
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Oh no, what a tragedy! (Love the idea of “doughy lovin'” too 🙂 )
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A brown haired girl liked to bake
Cookies and bread she would make
But without an oven
She cried and gave no doughy lovin’
To the boy whose laughs made her shake
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Here goes Al. My first. I’m overcoming the fear.Ha ha!
Wanting to give it a go
My mind always says no
Giving up the fear
Words flowed near
Now my heart smiles with less woe.
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A triumph! Once you get the rhythm stuck in your head, they can flow quite easily (for the reader, at least!). Will there be more? Hope so 🙂
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Thanks, Al. I think I got the bug. Ha ha!
Your examples were so wonderful. It’s like you can limerick about anything. 🙂
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I wish! I couldn’t do this week’s prompt of a limerick including the word “mother”, for example (not sure why it threw me, but it did).
But when it flows, it flows 🙂
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That’s how art work!
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😀
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Here’s my link to my limericks! https://ladieswholunchreviews.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/my-personal-trainer-pat-national-limerick-day/
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Love it! (Bake her a cake and see her reaction 😉 )
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Laughing! She’s just a very small person (who’s in excellent shape, darn her!)
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I guess it is her job, if that makes you feel any better 🙂
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It does not, but thanks 🙂
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Ooh, I was supposed to say ROFLMCCO, right?
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That’s more like it! You may be skinny, perky, and healthy, but is she really happy? (Don’t think about the answer – just assume no!) And even if she is happy and lovely, she could NEVER ROFLMCCO.
So there. 😀
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Hahaha, I will think of that every time I’m there sweating my CC off!
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😀
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There was a Welsh blogger called Hugh
Who slipped on a discarded tissue
He fell on his back
In a deep tyre track
And came up smelling of dog poo!
I’ve no idea if that is even a limerick, but I had to give it a go for you and Annette, Al.
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Ha ha, love it! Hope this isn’t based on a true story though… 🙂
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Thank goodness, no, Al.
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Phew!
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Boy thats a wonderful bunch of limericks Al. Superb. 🙂
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Thanks Marje… I like a limerick or ten… 🙂
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🙂
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Damn you’re good! I’m not going to even attempt a limerick after reading those. Loved them all, but the second one gave me some serious goosebumps.
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Thanks Lily… sorry I’ve put you off! I’ve had a really good idea for another book today following all this. Obviously it involves limericks 🙂
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I took a day trip to the Canyon
With a small group of ad hoc companions
Quite a crowd filled that space
Folks from all over the place
Even some who spoke just like D’Artagnan
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Love it! 😀
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There was an old poet called Jude
Who got in a bit of a mood
Because she was sick,
missed Al’s limericks
And didn’t want him to think she was rude!
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Al never thought for a second
That Jude would fail to check in
She posted some lines
Her talent, it shines
She’s truly a force to be reckoned!
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You and Judy crack me up. 😂 You should certainly be a comedy team.
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😀
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Thank you Al x
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You make Limericks seem easy to write but although they’re fun to read rhyming is difficult for me––I’m a bit intimidated by it. However, one day I may surprise you and myself. 😉 They are all great, but I just LOVE the creepy one. 😀
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I look forward to that day… and in the meantime, will keep throwing in the odd creepy one, just for you 🙂
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Ha, ha! That’s awesome and I’ll be looking forward to that. 😉
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I like the “selfie” one 😉
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