Hey folks! Today is a Very Important Holiday. It is… Limerick Day! Which, in my opinion, is a really fun event. This holiday, always occurs on May 12th, which was the birthday of Edward Lear (1812-1888). He published a “Book of Nonsense” in 1846 and he popularized the poetic form known as the Limerick.
By the way, Limerick is also a city in Ireland. There are also ten towns in the United States called Limerick. They are located in the following states: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky (actually, a neighborhood in Louisville), Maine, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. And not only is there one Limerick in Maine, there’s even a New and Improved Model in the same state, called New Limerick, Maine. After all, why just have an old Limerick when you can have a New Limerick?
Speaking of Limerick… the actual poem, which is what we are celebrating, is a very fun and popular form. It’s delightfully sing-songy and it contains five lines. The first two lines have nine syllables each. The third and fourth lines each have five syllables, and the last line has nine syllables. The rhyme scheme is A-A-B-B-A.
When I decided that I would write a limerick to celebrate the momentous holiday, I wondered what I would actually write the limerick about. Until I saw this statue of a lion’s body with a human head in Buffalo. I thought… hmmm… all right. So this is a sphinx. But who were the sphinx’s parents? That set my imagination into overdrive, and I decided that the sphinx could be a good subject for a limerick.
Sooooo…. here it is!
A gal fell in love with a lion
to the dismay of her pal Brian
She kissed the critter
and had a litter
‘neath the constellation Orion.
So… my question for you is… How do you plan on celebrating Limerick Day?
Love your limerick!! Very original. Thanks for sharing about all the towns that's always fun and interesting.
Very cool limerick! I wrote a few out didn't know about the number of syllables
Love it!