• Submit Poetry
  • Support SCP
  • About Us
  • Members
  • Join
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books
No Result
View All Result
Society of Classical Poets
No Result
View All Result
Home Poetry Beauty

A Fourth of July Limerick by Paul A. Freeman

July 4, 2023
in Beauty, Culture, Limerick, Poetry
A A
8
poem/freeman/culture

.

Fourth of July Limerick

Top left, there’s an oblong that’s blue;
add in fifty stars, white in hue.
To offset the stars
are parallel bars,
six white, seven red, straight and true.

.

.

Paul A. Freeman is the author of Rumours of Ophir, a crime novel which was taught in Zimbabwean high schools and has been translated into German. In addition to having two novels, a children’s book and an 18,000-word narrative poem (Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers!) commercially published, Paul is the author of hundreds of published short stories, poems and articles.

ShareTweetPin
The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.
Read Our Comments Policy Here
Next Post
poem/peterson/satire

A July 4th Satire: 'To All Great Eagles Up on High' by Roy E. Peterson

Review: Legends of Liberty Volume 1 by Andrew Benson Brown

'Independence Day?': A Fourth of July Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant

‘Coats’ by Stephen Ramsek

A Poem on Snowfall by Louis Groarke

Comments 8

  1. Margaret Coats says:
    3 years ago

    A rare descriptive limerick, simple and entirely competent, with a hint of admiration in the last phrase. Good work, Paul.

    Reply
    • Paul Freeman says:
      3 years ago

      Thanks, Margaret.

      Back in the day (1975, in fact), I used to make model soldiers, and Airfix (a model company) brought out a British ‘Redcoat’ soldier and an American Revolutionary soldier on the occasion of the American Revolutionary War, which got me interested in American history.

      What was doubly depressing about learning more about the loss of the colonies was that the American uniform was much cooler than that of the Redcoats – I mean, what’s with the tall hats except to give away your position!

      But seriously, a happy 4th of July.

      Reply
  2. jd says:
    3 years ago

    Enjoyed it, Paul. I love limericks and this one is
    very good for all the reasons Margaret cited.

    Reply
    • Paul Freeman says:
      3 years ago

      Thanks, JD.

      Like nursery rhymes and other short poetry forms, limericks can carry a message.

      And since you like limericks, here’s one I wrote yesterday.

      Colosseum Limerick

      At Rome’s Colosseum we’re pained
      By a vandal who should have refrained
      From seeking out fame
      By carving his name –
      We’re definitely not entertained!

      Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson says:
    3 years ago

    Thank you, Paul, for the neat tribute.

    Reply
    • Paul Freeman says:
      3 years ago

      You’re welcome, Roy.

      I’m see about getting the limerick illustrated. Wasn’t it Sheldon, in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ who was obsessed with flags and had a (fictional) YouTube channel?

      Reply
  4. Cynthia Erlandson says:
    3 years ago

    A great idea, well-executed.

    Reply
    • Paul Freeman says:
      3 years ago

      Thanks, Cynthia. I’ve always been interested in flags. They’re always a great source of historic information and interesting facts.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. C.B. Anderson on ‘Art and Nature’ and Other Poetry by C.B. AndersonJanuary 7, 2026

    I will have to ponder, Roy, what a silly river would look like. Two examples of soaring thoughts are "Stone…

  2. Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano on ‘King of Poets’: A Poem by Margaret CoatsJanuary 7, 2026

    As one unlearned in Biblical history and musical theory, I welcome the Poet's Note, which increases my appreciation of the…

  3. Lisa J. Roberts on ‘Caravaggio’: A Poem by Lisa J. RobertsJanuary 7, 2026

    Thank you, jd! I appreciate the positive feedback!

  4. David Whippman on ‘Yeonmi Park’s Advice to Americans’: A Poem by Warren BonhamJanuary 7, 2026

    Clever poem with a sound message. Pity the New Yorkers didn't read it before they voted in Mamdani.

  5. Cynthia L Erlandson on ‘King of Poets’: A Poem by Margaret CoatsJanuary 7, 2026

    I, too, learned some fascinating things by reading this poem and the poet's note. Though the psalmist's "instrument of ten…

Receive Poems in Your Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,621 other subscribers
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Recent Poems

  • ‘King of Poets’: A Poem by Margaret Coats
  • ‘Watercolors’: A Poem by Susan Steele Rives
  • ‘Art and Nature’ and Other Poetry by C.B. Anderson
  • ‘Star of Wonder’: A Poem by James A. Tweedie
  • ‘Yeonmi Park’s Advice to Americans’: A Poem by Warren Bonham
  • ‘Caravaggio’: A Poem by Lisa J. Roberts
  • ‘Refrigerator Bird’ and Other Poetry by Armaan Fatteh-Patil
  • ‘The Oak Trees’: A Poem by Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano
  • ‘A Cardinal on a Snowy Day’: A Poem by Rob Fried
  • Poets Susan Jarvis Bryant and James Sale Respond to Mamdani’s Swearing In as NYC Mayor
  • ‘Single Room Cigarette, 17th Floor Yale Club of Manhattan’: A Poem by Alec Ream
  • ‘Legacy of Light’: A Poem by Martin Briggs
  • ‘The Swarm’ and Other Poetry by Cheryl Corey
  • ‘Lament of a Poet Falsely Accused of Using AI’ and Other Poetry by Paul Buchheit
  • ‘A Gift from the South’: A Poem by Julian Woodruff
  • ‘New Year’s Peeve’: A Poem by Susan Jarvis Bryant
  • ‘Homage to Brigitte Bardot’: A Poem by Joseph S. Salemi
  • ‘Dearth of Emotional Intelligence’ and Other Poems by Russel Winick
  • ‘Fireflies’: A Poem by Mark Stellinga
  • ‘Real Poetry’: A Poem by Eric v.d. Luft
  • ‘Flaws’: A Poem by Joshua Thomas
  • Two Final Poems by Sally Cook
  • ‘Twelve Labors More, Part I’: A Poem by Evan Mantyk
  • ‘A Perfect Match is Found’: A Poem by Roy E. Peterson
  • ‘The Seven Crossings’: A Poem by Ulysses Arlen
  • ‘An Open Book’ and Other Poetry by David McMahon
  • A Video Poetry Reading by Paul Erlandson
  • ‘Otto and Octavius at Christmas’: A Children’s Poem by Mary Gardner
  • ‘Darkness and Dawn’: A Christmas Triptych by Susan Jarvis Bryant
  • ‘Nativity’ and Other Christmas Poetry by Jeffrey Essmann

Categories

  • Acrostic
  • Alexandroid
  • Alliterative
  • Art
  • Best Poems
  • Blank Verse
  • Chant Royal
  • Classical Poets Live
  • Clerihew
  • Covid-19
  • Deconstructing Communism
  • Educational
  • Epic
  • Epigrams and Proverbs
  • Essays
    • Interviews with Poets
    • Poetry Reviews
  • Featured
  • From the Society
  • Great Poets
    • Dante Alighieri
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Homer
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Robert Frost
    • William Blake
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
  • Human Rights in China
  • Limerick
  • Love Poems
  • Music
  • Pantoum
  • Performing Arts
  • Poetry
    • Beauty
    • Children's Poems
    • Culture
    • Ekphrastic
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Humor
    • Riddles
  • Poetry Challenge
  • Poetry Contests
  • Poetry Forms
    • Haiku
  • Poetry Readings
  • Rhupunt
  • Rondeau
  • Rondeau Redoublé
  • Rondel
  • Rubaiyat
  • Sapphic Verse
  • Satire
  • Science
  • Sestina
  • Shape Poems
  • Short Stories
  • Song Lyrics
  • Sonnet
  • Symposium
  • Terrorism
  • Terza Rima
  • The Environment
  • Translation
  • Triolet
  • Video
  • Villanelle

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Submit Poetry
  • Become a Member
  • Members List
  • Support the Society
  • Advertisement Placement
  • Comments Policy
  • Terms of Use

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Poems
    • Beauty
    • Culture
    • Satire
    • Humor
    • Children’s
    • Art
    • Ekphrastic
    • Epic
    • Epigrams and Proverbs
    • Human Rights in China
    • Music
    • Performing Arts
    • Riddles
    • Science
    • Song Lyrics
    • The Environment
    • The Raven
    • Found Poems
    • High School Poets
    • Terrorism
    • Covid-19
  • Poetry Forms
    • Sonnet
    • Haiku
    • Limerick
    • Villanelle
    • Rondeau
    • Pantoum
    • Sestina
    • Triolet
    • Acrostic
    • Alexandroid
    • Alliterative
    • Blank Verse
    • Chant Royal
    • Clerihew
    • Rhupunt
    • Rondeau Redoublé
    • Rondel
    • Rubaiyat
    • Sapphic Verse
    • Shape Poems
    • Terza Rima
  • Great Poets
    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • Emily Dickinson
    • Homer
    • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Dante Alighieri
    • John Keats
    • John Milton
    • Edgar Allan Poe
    • William Shakespeare
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Blake
    • Robert Frost
  • Love Poems
  • Contests
  • SCP Academy
    • Educational
    • Teaching Classical Poetry—A Guide for Educators
    • Poetry Forms
    • The SCP Journal
    • Books

© 2025 SCP. WebDesign by CODEC Prime.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.