What is a limerick?
A limerick is a (usually humorous) five-line poem with a strict AABBA rhyme scheme. It’s fun to write and, usually, fun to read. I’ve always loved limericks by Edward Lear, and over the past few years, I’ve read many, many more. Do you remember the nursery rhyme ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’? That was probably the first limerick most of us learned!
Why should I write a limerick?
While I can’t give you an answer to that, I can tell you why I work with limericks so often at creative writing workshops I conduct.
- Limericks are fun.
- Limericks are funny.
- Limericks have a definite structure, which forces us to pay attention to both rhyme and meter. Read more about that here.
- Limericks are short, with no room to wax lyrical.
What do I need to know about limericks?
The best way to understand the form of a limerick is to read dozens – or hundreds – of limericks for yourself. Feel the meter and the rhyme scheme, instead of learning the rules I’ve listed below!
- A limerick has five lines.
- The rhyme scheme of a limerick is AABBA. This means that the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with one another and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.
- The length of the lines also follows the same pattern. The first, second and fifth lines are longer and have three stressed syllables each.
The third and fourth lines are shorter and have two stressed syllables each.
How do I go about it?
As with any other kind of writing, begin with an idea. Perhaps you could write a limerick about yourself!
- The first line should introduce the main character – that’s you!
- The second line should bring humour in. Think about your quirks (strange habits or funny things you do!).
- The third and fourth lines need action. Use good, clear vocabulary.
- The fifth line should not leave the reader hanging. You need a resolution.
Look how I gave it a shot!
I am the main character of my limerick. What odd habits do I have that I can have fun with? What action can I bring in, and how do I finish my limerick with a good punchline?
Here’s one of the limericks I came up with:
What makes a limerick difficult to write?
Lots of things, actually! It took a while for me to realise that I would struggle if I chose to write about more than one character. For me, five lines aren’t enough to do anything meaningful with multiple characters!
The meter of a limerick is challenging too. I had lots and lots of ideas, but with such short, defined lines, it isn’t easy to make the poem work.
I don’t like “adjusting” poems. For me, rhyming verse should be easy to read aloud. Else, it just doesn’t work!
Go on, try a limerick of your own. Share it with me if you’d like to!
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