Tips, Tricks, & Limericks

Happy St. Patrick's Day my lovely readers! Today Mrs. Colombo gave a brief presentation on limerick writing and let the freshmen students write for the rest of the period. 

Despite being my school’s resident poet, I avoid counting my syllables or sticking to a strict rhyme structure when I write. Yes, my 2022 poems have an end rhyme formula of ABAB, but nowadays it’s more natural for me to write where the wind takes me. If that means occasional rhyming, so be it, but only when it feels right. 

Limericks originate in Ireland. They are often comedic or about some light-hearted, nonsensical matter meant to bring a smile to the reader’s face. They have five lines in an AABBA rhyme scheme. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have 7-10 syllables. The middle lines 3 and 4 have 5-7 syllables. 

So picture something like this:

1 ________________ (7-10 syllables)

2 ________________ (7-10 syllables)

3 __________ (5-7 syllables)

4 __________ (5-7 syllables)

5 ________________ (7-10 syllables)

Choosing to challenge myself and join the freshmen, I attempted writing three:

The Mojito that Wasn’t 

There was a bartender named Clodd 

Whose eyesight was rather odd 

He mistook salt for sugar 

And lime for cucumber

Best to order his coolers, not alcohol

Sugar, Spice, & Soap

In the game of real or cake,

Miss Famish couldn’t tell which was fake

So she gobbled the soap bar up,

Blew bubbles with each hiccup

And developed a craving for sponge cake

When Hoglets Fly

A penguin-loving lass named Kathy

And a panda-loving lass named Ally

Put their animals to the test

To see which could fly best

But they lost to a baby hedgehog that’s Abi’s

These rare, few chances I take to write in a pattern further my appreciation for rhythmic writers. It’s like admiring a track athlete for the skill they possess, fully knowing you couldn’t run the race as fast. “I’m not saying I can’t run, just not like that.” In my case, I’m not saying I can’t write, just not like that! Poets who write in haiku, tanka, limericks, etc… you have my respect and admiration.

Can you pack all you want to say in three to five lines that all rhyme? 

How long does it take you to find the perfect word?

Does writing in structure ever frustrate you as it does me?

How can you be witty and concise? 

Questions and queries aside, it’s good to try something you’re not confident in now and then. Life gets boring if you limit yourself and only do what you can do well. I encourage you to try writing your own in the comments below!