The Limerick Poetry Activity

For the year of 2025, “Poetic Discussions” we will be exploring, learning, and composing various short forms of poetry.  These will be a set of activities that you are more than welcome to participate in.  Information on these forms of poetry will be provided, along with instructions on the poem activity.  Please be sure to read the instructions carefully and abide by them.  Also, feel free to research more information on the presented short form should you need more clarification.  Those who participate poems will be posted here at the Creative Inspirations website.
 
Please note that when submitting for this activity:

• poems will only be accepted by email at: [email protected]. Please put in the subject line of the email: “Poetic Discussions Poetry Activity Submission”
• poems must follow submission instructions
• poems should not be offensive, derogatory, vulgar, sexual, or the like
• poems must be submitted on or before the deadline; no poems will be accepted once the deadline has expired

A limerick is a five-line poem with a specific structure and rhyme scheme. It typically has a humorous or nonsensical tone and is often used in children's literature. The rhyming pattern is AABBA, with lines 1, 2, and 5 rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 rhyming. The first two lines usually introduce a person or place, while the last three lines often tell a short, funny story or punchline. 
 
Structure:

• Lines: Five lines in total. 
• Rhyme Scheme: AABBA. 
• Meter: Often uses an anapestic rhythm (two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable). 
• Syllables: Lines 1, 2, and 5 typically have 8-10 syllables, while lines 3 and 4 have fewer (5-6). 
• Content: The first line introduces a subject (person or place), the second provides details, the middle lines tell a short story, and the last line is often a punchline or surprise ending. 

History and Etymology:

• The term "limerick" is thought to be a reference to the Irish city and county of Limerick. 
• Some believe the poems originated from a popular song, "Won't You Come to Limerick?", featuring a similar rhyme scheme and meter. 
• Limericks are known to have been popular among the working class and drunkards in England, according to a blog on Tenon Tours. 

 
Examples:
 
1. By Edward Lear:
 
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!" 
 
2. A more modern example:
 
There once was a man from Peru,
Who dreamed he was eating his shoe.
He woke with a fright,
In the middle of the night,
And found that his dream had come true!
 
3. Another example:
 
A wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill can hold more than his beli-can.
He can't get his eye,
When he tries to fly,
I think that he is an old man. 
 
The limerick seems like a fun poem activity.

• for this activity, please refer to the above instructions and sample poems for your submission
• poems should follow the limerick (AABBA) format, please – submissions not following this format will not be accepted
• poem must be individual; no collaboration poems
• poem must be original…no previously published poems for this activity
• please send your submission by email…put in the subject line of the email: “Poetic Discussions” Limerick activity
• this really seems like a fun activity…hope to get lots of submission for it

·       the deadline for submission of this poem is
       Thursday July 24, 2025