Limerick Poetry Challenge
Write a limerick (learn how to write one here) about a famous poet or about writing poetry and post it in the comments section below. This challenge is brought to you by poet Roy E. Peterson, who wrote the three below sample limericks.
Wordsworth Love Daffodils
William Wordsworth well loved daffodils,
And once saw a bunch dancing up hills.
_Perhaps he was glad,
_Or else he was mad.
I wonder what kind were his pills.
Making Ink
When the poet’s pen lost all its ink,
He went to make more in his sink.
_He got some charcoal
_He smashed in the bowl
With vinegar, quick as a wink.
Poet Agents
The poet deemed his poems were best,
And decided to give them a test.
_He hired an agent
_And made his prepayment.
But they languished along with the rest.
or
METRE MAID
To prepare your poetic bouquet,
You need names that are easy to say,
If you’re trying to wrest,
Out a good anapest,
Try out Edna St. Vincent Millay?
Or alternatively,
METRE MAID
To prepare your poetic bouquet,
You need names that are easy to say,
If you’re trying to wrest,
Out a good anapest,
Try out Edna St. Vincent Millay?
Thanks, Roy. I hate it when I shoot from the hip and immediately think of a better phrasing. I can’t believe how poliferimeric you are.
Aaron, you are not alone. Often, I have the same problem. After I have sent something, my mind suddenly finds better words or phrasing. Thank you for assessing my production from my short bio. As of today, I have written 6,856 poems.
How many limericks
NOISELESS PATIENT SPIDER (Walt Whitman)
By Roy E. Peterson
I spied a noiseless patient spider.
He was hanging beside my cider.
When I took a drink,
He fell in sink.
Then I pushed it in the grinder.
MESSAGE, RHYME, AND METER
By Roy E. Peterson
The message is what makes poems burn.
Then its rhyme and meter in turn.
The message brings light.
Why else would we write.
It’s the message that makes others yearn.
WRITING FREE VERSE
By Roy E. Peterson
The poet thought he’d try free verse.
In his words he soon would immerse.
Like moderns do
His words were pooh pooh.
Nothing he’d written was worse.
WRITING ONLY IN IAMBIC METER
By Roy E. Peterson
The poet wrote only iambic,
Which made him depressively manic
He wrote a trochee
And then had to pee.
The word had caused his mind to panic.
If there’s no toilet nearby, we panic. Anyone who’s experienced this knows this. A powerful poem 🙂
Agreed, Urszula! Thank you for commenting.
The Abyss of Love
Without Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe,
standing by a well with a pendulum and a doe,
quickly drank a pint of porter,
then jumped into the water,
searching for the still-unborn Marilyn Monroe.
Urszula, what an imaginative limerick! That is something Poe might have done! Sorry to be so late seeing this.
I loved reading Poe. I think it’s time to get back into it 🙂 I noticed I wasn’t the only one who reached for this author. Thank you for such a kind comment. It’s been a while since I wrote limericks, and this is my first one in English 🙂
A worthy wordsmith
The words of William Wordsworth though old
Are really worth their weight in gold.
They’re widely recognized,
Easily cognized,
And at worst will bring us joy, untold!
Ganga, right on the button with the joy of reading Wordsworth.
Thank you Roy
Insect instincts
At times I have a bee in my bonnet
to write a haiku, ode or sonnet,
or something of that kind
whatever comes to mind
and just end up mad as a hornet!
Intriguing. It’s impossible to read it and not react 🙂
And if we don’t write these words down right away, they’ll disappear forever.
Thank you so much Ursula
Urzsula
I love limericks. I’m always impressed by the ingenuity.
Your ‘Abyss of love ‘ is funny and has depth . You inspire me to write one about Poe ,Urszula
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m curious about your interpretation of Poe.
I particularly enjoyed this one.
Cass
There once was a teacher named Cass
who expelled much malodorous gas.
One day after starting,
she couldn’t stop farting;
then everyone ran from the class.
Beautifully written and hilarious, Jan! You have inspired me to have a go. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Susan. I made that one for my grandson who so enjoys all things farty.
Unable to bear the fragrance, Jan
Me, too, Ganga. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
The most important thing is that the limerick section came back to life after the break, gained strength and flavor 🙂
And odour!
Delicious 🙂
How exquisitely funny, Jan.
Thanks so much, Roy! I appreciate your kind comment and your sense of humor.
Literature Still Alive
Professor Tutka met with Szaniawski in Warsaw.
All the readers were pleasantly shocked by what they saw.
The hero of the stories bowed his head.
That would be fine, but the author is dead.
The crows flew down and began cawing: caw, caw, caw, caw.
* Professor Tutka – a character from a series of short stories by Polish writer Jerzy Szaniawski. I recommend it.
Thank you for bringing this writer to our attention, Urszula. I enjoyed visiting Poland, by the way.
Thank you so much, Roy. My favorite author led me to this point, and I led him.
The Luckless Pistol
A pistol once went to the sun,
He muttered, “This isn’t much fun.”
Then he shouted “Go figur!”
“It’s melted my trigger!
I’m no longer the son of a gun.
Very ingenious.
Thank you, Paul! This one is so much fun!
That’s such a fun one, Paul!
You cannot hide out on the page
Intelligence, character, age
Your writing betrays
And surely displays
Much more than an act on a stage
An insightful observation, Jan.
It is a difficult to compose a serious limerick, but you have done so, and quite artfully.
Thanks, Mary, for your kind and thoughtful comment and for pointing that out. ‘Serious limerick’ does seem almost oxymoronic, if that’s ‘a thing’ with limericks.
Jan, there is so much wisdom in this wonderfully written morsel! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Roy, for such a kind and generous comment! And you’re most welcome.
I’ll twine ‘mid black ringlets of hair
pale blooms, a clear warning, beware
He’ll rue the dark hour
The frail wildwood flower
Betrayal’s revenge did not spare
Mercy, Jan. What a clear statement of intent! I almost thought you might have used “This” for “The” in the penultimate line. You left me guessing.
Hi, Roy, thanks for your thoughtful, also humorous and gentle, comment. I did have “This” there first, and I guess it felt a little too clear. But I do agree with you that it should be “this.” for clarity. 🙂
Griffin Wharf Limerick
The Griffin Wharf insurgency
Was the start of the Land of the Free.
King George was most nettled
It couldn’t be settled
Over scones and a nice cup of tea.
(In line with America 250)
Excellent use of history with Griffin Wharf being the place where the Boston Tea Party took place. Your humor also comes through clearly.