Limerick

A limerick is a short five-line light-verse poem, usually comic, witty, absurd, bawdy, or playful. It follows the rhyme scheme AABBA. Lines one, two, and five are longer and rhyme with one another. Lines three and four are shorter and rhyme with one another. The rhythm is usually bouncy and often anapestic.

A limerick often begins by introducing a person and place, then develops a ridiculous or surprising situation. Its pleasure comes from speed, rhyme, rhythm, and a punchline-like ending. The poem should feel quick and memorable.

To write a limerick, choose a comic subject. Write five lines. Make lines one, two, and five rhyme. Make lines three and four rhyme. Keep lines three and four shorter than the others. Let the final line deliver surprise, reversal, or comic closure.

The Poet of Maine

There once was a poet from Maine,
Who wrote every line in the rain.
Her ink ran away,
But she laughed through the day,
And called every puddle a stain.

“The Poet of Maine” follows the limerick form by using five lines and the AABBA rhyme scheme. Maine, rain, and stain form the A rhyme. Away and day form the B rhyme. Lines three and four are shorter than lines one, two, and five. The subject is comic and light, ending with a playful turn.

A limerick may be clean, silly, satirical, rude, or absurd. A stricter limerick keeps the familiar bounce of anapestic rhythm. A looser limerick may relax the meter but should keep the five-line structure, AABBA rhyme, and comic movement. The limerick is a traditional light-verse form, not an author-created WoPoLi form.