Poetic Form 9: Limerick

Top of the mornin', to you! Today's poetic form, the ninth in our series, is an old favorite, the limerick. You may recall that a limerick is a funny little poem containing five lines and employing a rhyme scheme of AABBA (last words of the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other (A), and the last words of the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other (B)). Ideas for new limericks can come from almost anywhere. For example, your students could write about your city, state, country, or a mono-syllabic(!)name.

Here is a five-step plan for getting started:

1. Pick a boy’s or girl’s name that has one syllable (like Bill, Tim, Dick, Sue, or Jill).

2. Make a list of words that rhyme with the last word in the first line—in this case, Jill. Your list of rhyming words might include: hill, drill, pill, skill, bill, will, and ill.

3. Write the second line using one of the rhyming words.

4. Now think of an interesting story. What could happen to the person that would make for an interesting situation?

5. Now you need to go back to the list of “A” rhyming words to find one that can end the poem.

Now, for an example:

There once was a young girl named Jill .
Who freaked at the sight of a drill.
She brushed every day.
So, her dentist would say,
“Your teeth are quite perfect. No bill.”

Read Up and Write On!