Friday, June 13, 2014

Limerick laughs

Friday Funny

Limericks. Those are the five line poems, usually kind of naughty and funny with a rhyme scheme of AABBA. I'm sure you have heard the following, or a variation of it. 

There was an old man of Nantucket
who kept all his cash in a bucket
but his daughter, named Nan
ran away with a man
as as for the bucket, Nantucket

Edward Lear popularized limericks, he did not call them limericks, in the 19th century.

As a poetic form, limericks adhere to a set of rules. Actually, limerick rules are rather strict compared to other poetry. 

They are:
  • Limericks are five lines long
  • Lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyme
  • Lines 3 and 4 rhyme
  • Limericks are typically funny

Here's another example. Author unknown.

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical. 

And now, here's my go at it.

There once was a woman writer
whose mental blocks would bite her;
but she kept at her keyboard
til a story struck a big chord
now her job is a money counter

Now, your turn.


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