Honestly, I had heard of limericks but never tried writing one until it came time to compose this blog post. I googled "How to Write a Limerick," and found some helpful resources. A limerick is a funny, nonsensical poem meant to amuse. It is simple to create. All limericks follow an AABBA rhyme scheme. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, each A rhymes with the other As, and each B rhymes with the other Bs. Let's go over some basic rules for writing limericks.
Rule One: Every limerick has exactly five lines, creating one verse/stanza.
Rule Two: The rhyme scheme is always AABBA
Rule Three: This isn't really a rule, but most limericks are funny and often nonsensical.
Now that we've covered those rules, let's examine what each line could contain in more depth.
Line 1: Often identifies the subject of the poem, such as the person, plant, or animal. It must also rhyme with lines 2 and 5.
Line 2: Must rhyme with lines 1 and 5.
Line 3: Must rhyme with line 4.
Line 4: Must rhyme with line 3.
Line 5: This is the punchline, where the joke or unexpected twist comes in. It must rhyme with lines 1 and 2.
The punchline isn't an absolute neccessity every time, but it is a really good feature, so try to include it in at least some of your limericks.
When it comes to learning a new style of poetry, I find that examples are very helpful. My favourite I've come across so far is this limerick, which, I am told, was published in 1902 by Dayton Voorhees. It nails the punchline/unexpected twist element perfectly!
There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
When you begin your own limerick, you may find it helpful to set it up like this in your notebook.
A
A
B
B
A
This way, you can see exactly which lines need to rhyme with each other.
Next, you'll pick your subject. I am going to use a mouse.
A A mouse, not far away
The middle three lines are where you may expand upon your story.
A sleeps safely in the hay,
B blissfully slumbering,
B dreaming he is king,
And the last line is your punchline, or unexpected twist.
A surrounded by baby grandmice at play.
Putting it all together, you would have this:
Mouse King
A A mouse, not far away
A sleeps safely in the hay,
B blissfully slumbering,
B dreaming he is king,
A surrounded by baby grandmice at play.
Let's try a second limerick. Perhaps I should write one about the Little Red Hen.
A The little red hen
A announced, "Nest building is well within my ken.
B All you need is straw and feathers from the shop in town.
B It's easy, just fashion a cup, nice and round.
A Simply put, it costs just one yen."
Hmm... "town" and "round" are a kind of forced, and do not really rhyme. I'm not sure they fit. And line 5 is awkward and out of place. I'll play around with it a bit and see if I can make it better.
Little Miss Wren
A "This talent," chirped Little Miss Wren,
A "Is simple. Nest building is well within my ken."
B "All you need is straw and feathers."
B "It's easy, just fashion a cup, able to fare all weathers."
A And down in the fen, there on a nest sits Little Miss Wren.
As you can see, this last limerick has changed a lot. You might find that this will happen to you as well. If something is not working, save it and go play with other versions until you find something new that you like better, or an improved variation of the original.
Okay, a couple more limericks, and then it is your turn!
Unfinished
This is the story of a poem unfinished.
Try as he might, the words diminished.
The words escaped, no matter how hard he tried.
The poet, he cried.
Over the poem Unfinished.
Many thanks to my brother for the help he gave me with Little Miss Wren and Mouse King. It made the poem much better. Thanks for being a good bother. Oh. Er, brother. Oops!
If you would like further reading on writing limericks, try these helpful links:
As a closing note:
What topic shall I pick?
This must be the perfect limerick!
Practice makes perfect, or so they say.
I'm not sure I agree, but perhaps I'll come close someday.
With practice, I'll make that punchline stick!
Limerick Prompts:
Write a limerick that is funny, and is also a riddle. Tell it to your friends, and see if they can solve it.
Write a limerick about a failed cake that came out of the oven wrong.
Write a limerick about yourself. Perhaps about a funny quirk you have, or about one of your pet peeves.
Don't forget to have fun!