Lesson 4, 1-18-10, Limerick

Barnes & Noble Poetry Workshop
Monday, January 18th 2010 (Please join us next time: Monday, February 15th 2010 7:30pm)
Today we’re going to mix things up. The lesson will have a fun side, and a challenging side.
Before we begin, I’d like you all to jot down a few words that rhyme; this will be useful later on in the lesson.
LIMERICK
What to remember:
• A limerick is a humorous poem of 5 lines
• The 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme
• The 3rd and 4th line are shorter lines that form a rhymed couplet
• You can use an internal rhyme or a rhyme at the end of the line. An internal rhyme has the rhyming words within the line and it makes things a little more challenging.
To make the above really simple:
• Keep it funny, playful, and 5 lines long
• 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme
• 3rd and 4th lines are shorter than the rest. Since they are two lines, it’s considered a couplet. Because they must rhyme, it is called a rhymed couplet----don’t stress over the terminology, just write and have fun with it!
• Rhyme at the end of each line; just be sure that you can distinguish the line 1, 2, 5 rhyme from the line 3, 4 rhyme.
WORD IN A BAG
Now to lighten up the mood, I brought in a bag of words. These words are not well known, there will be a definition and synonym (another word of the same meaning) written on the index card. Everyone can pick three word cards. It’s up to you if you want to use the words in your limerick or not. If you aren’t feeling up to the challenge today, feel free to write any form of poetry that you choose, and of course, you can still use the words for inspiration!
Examples of a Limerick
“A Clumsy Young Fellow Named Tim” (as seen on www.gigglepoetry.com)
Line 1: There once was a fellow named Tim
Line 2: whose dad never taught him to swim.
Line 3: He fell off a dock
Line 4: and sunk like a rock.
Line 5: And that was the end of him.

“Untitled” (as seen on www.gigglepoetry.com)
Line 1: There once was a young girl named Jill.
Line 2: Who was scared by the sight of a drill.
Line 3: She brushed every day
Line 4: So her dentist would say,
Line 5: “Your teeth are so perfect; no bill.”

“In Quebec” by: Rudyard Kipling
Line 1: There was once a small boy in Quebec
Line 2: Stood buried in snow to his neck
Line 3: When asked: “Are you friz?”
Line 4: He said: “Yes I is,
Line 5: But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”

ALL Poetry Lessons Written by: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter