A Limerick is a short, often humorous poem made of up of five lines with a characteristic rhythm. The word is derived from the Irish town of Limerick and reportedly started as a pub song or chorus. This form of poetry was made popular by Edward Lear in the 19th century.
My father would often recite limerick style poetry to me as a child, often times they were created by him in the moment. He taught me to love all poetry, but especially the funny and clever limerick.
Here are a few by Edward Lear
There was an Old Man who supposed,
That the street door was partially closed;
But some very large rats,
Ate his coats and his hats,
While that futile old gentleman dozed.
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, 'It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!’
Here are a few more:
Published in 1902 in the Princeton Tiger:
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.
By John Updike
There was an old poop from Poughkeepsie,
Who tended, at night, to be tipsy.
Said he, “my last steps
Aren’t propelled by just Schweppes
That peppy old poop from Poughkeepsie.
These are a lot of fun to read and write. Please share if you have a favorite or if you would like to write one!
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