Poetry form Week 7: Limerick

A Sample Limerick by Maureen

Hello, This is Morning, I am backing up for Ava today, while she is spending time with her family..
This week, let's go for Limerick, which is a fun and beautiful poetry form. Everyone shall be able to cook up one after you read the definition, samples drawn from Poets from our own community, hope that you enjoy it and write and share...

What is a Limerick?

According to Shashi (quoted him below)

A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line anapestic or amphibrachic meter with a strict rhyme scheme (aabba), which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century. It was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century, although he did not use the term.

The following example of a limerick is of unknown origin.

The limerick* packs laughs anatomical                   *(pronounced "lim'rick" to preserve meter)

In space that is quite economical,

    But the good ones I've seen

    So seldom are clean,

And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

Gershon Legman, who compiled the largest and most scholarly anthology, held that the true limerick as a folk form is always obscene, and cites similar opinions by Arnold Bennett and George Bernard Shaw, describing the clean limerick as a periodic fad and object of magazine contests, rarely rising above mediocrity. From a folkloric point of view, the form is essentially transgressive; violation of taboo is part of its function.

Here are more samples from poets who participated so far at the Purple Tree House:

Ali! Ali! Ali! By kaykuala

                                   

Even at the pre-fight joint weighing-in

He would come swinging and ranting

He gave accurate predictions

Of his opponent’s derelictions

As they fall from grace to the ground reeling

Fire-Fighter Limerick by Zongrik

Some fire-fighters who loved to watch porn
Rallied  on an idea that’s now still-born.
They set up their truck
So porn stars could f__k.
Now they suffer the department’s full scorn.

A Funny One by Mike Patrick

There once was a lass from Kilkenny
who was born with one breast too many.
In a world of such hunger,
she was pleased with the number,
her babies were blessed with plenty.

A Man Named Happy  Sarah Johnston

I once knew a man named Happy
He was my old Grand Pappy
He was never on time
Till he fell on a dime
Now he dresses real snappy

A Fickle Limerick by Madkane

A popular gal who was fickle
Found herself in a terrible pickle:
A fellow she spurned
Launched a web site that turned
Her long wooers-list into a trickle.

Check out more limerick samples via the link below, feel free to write one, post in your blog, and link to Shashi’s post below by Sunday, have fun!

 POETIC FORMS WK 3 : LIMERICK (Sept. 21-October 2, 2011)