Oh, limericks. Humorous, sometimes a bit naughty, and far more challenging to craft than they might immediately appear. A limerick:
“is a humorous poem consisting of five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm. The third and fourth lines only have to have five to seven syllables, and have to rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm.”
English artist, poet, illustrator, musician and author Edward Lear was a master of the limerick, and made their creation seem effortless.
There was an Old Man of Aôsta,
Who possessed a large Cow, but he lost her;
But they said, ‘Don’t you see,
she has rushed up a tree?
You invidious Old Man of Aôsta!’
I must confess that I lack Lear’s deft hand and talent for word creation, but I thought I might just toss my own hat into the ring, and challenge my bourgeoning poetry skills by attempting to create an original limerick. Being the devout cat lady I am, I of course had to write about a cat (though the fact that cat is a very easy word to rhyme with might have had some influence on my decision).
Have a great week, everyone, and never be afraid to rock those ridiculous hats, or whatever else makes you feel amazing!
Thanks for starting my day with a smile! I love the rhythm of limericks and perhaps I’ll accept your limerick challenge later. For now I’m thinking about my favorite limerick: A wonderful bird is the pelican…
Oh, now I need to hear the rest of that poem! You don’t often hear poems about pelicans, and they’re so fascinating!!
Edward Lear is a favorite of mine in words and art. I had the honor of handling and viewing some of his original art when I worked at the University of Chicago! Lovely little cat limerick Jane, and the pic is wonderful, thanks for all!
What a neat experience that must have been, so actually see his original artwork! Edward Lear has long been a favourite of mine, too – he just made everything seem so effortless!
Limericks are wonderful and I always enjoy them. Love what you did with your limerick. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face. Limericks are not a poetry format I’ve used. You’ve inspired me so perhaps, I will work on one soon.
No, I hadn’t tried to create a limerick since I was in school decades ago! I often get stuck in creative ruts, so sometimes I just have to force myself to try something new.
Such fun – perfect poems for a dreary March Friday!
Well done, Jane! It’s not everyone who can master that limerick rhythm! You’re right that it’s more challenging than it looks, but clearly you were inspired. Even your feline model looks somewhat impressed.
So precious! This is the perfect poem to kick off my week of Spring Break. I am ready for some fun!
Thanks for the big smile this week! Love the limerick and cat photo!! Adorable!
A variant for you, xo:
there once was a raincity poet
whose cat hoped that she would outgrow it
she dressed him in hats
despite mortal combat
til blood loss prompted her to forego it
It’s not actually about YOU, of course, Jane. It’s just that once I decided to have “raincity poet” as the end of my first line, rhyming became such a challenge that I had to use a lot of poetic license!
Well, now I just have to give this a try. LOL. Tonight, I got home after a long day of teaching five double classes IN an auditorium……after a community night last night. Tired is a bit of an understatement! So, I popped my earbuds in and watched/slept to ‘The Crown’ — in which Peter Townsend calms King George with a dirty limerick. It’s pretty funny because the whole stiff-upper-lip execution. So, I’m too tired to write a limerick on the spot. But, I’ll be back to post what I do write. Fun times!
That is hilarious, the limerick and the cat, I mean frog.
Tabatha’s op ed was funny, too.
Very, very funny, Jane. You did well, and the cat (is it yours?) hat is so, so cute.
Jane wanted to try limerick rhyme.
She thought Friday would be the right time.
To write pretty letters,
she became a pacesetter.
She wrote a poem purely sublime.
Why thank you! Thankfully “cat” is an easy word to rhyme with.
Friday is always the right time for poetry!
I wish it was my cat! Alas and alack I am a cat lady whose partner has terrible cat allergies! :'(
Very fun and funny. I agree the limerick is a challenge. I’m impressed even with an “easy” word like cat!
Limericks are so fun. I am impressed.with your poem… even with an “easy” word like cat.
In my window once sat a great cat
No exaggeration in calling her fat
She would loll and she’d sprawl
A slip-sliding butterball
Too poochy to ever sit flat.
See a picture of my “little” Skippy here:
http://kkskwotes.blogspot.com/2015/09/sundays-kat-kwote.html
She large, but not as large as the camera makes her appear!
Fun limerick!