atta boy barn'...
raspy skid
visited the land of blarney,
he learned how to lim,
and became quite slim,
jogging the cliffs of killarney...
observer
lim-WRIting's like PLAYing a DRUM,
you MIGHT follow THIS rule of THUMB...
a LIM'rick should FLOW,
like THIS it should GO,
di DUM diddy DUM diddy DUM.
An internet search on how to compose
a proper limerick might be helpful. Keep trying.
Observer
Contused
Here's a post from the past, 'way back,
So 'way back it's been hard to track,
From our erstwhile host,
Who's since ceased to post,
I give you the A-A-L FAQ.
- Contused
* * *
Frequently Asked Questions for alt.arts.limericks
1. Do I have to write a limerick?
Yes dear. That is why we are here.
Limericks are what we hold dear.
If you add some prose,
We will hold our nose,
But sometimes it happens we fear.
Yes. That is the purpose of this group, to write limericks. You may
add comments in prose too, but try to keep them short. We know that
sometimes it is not possible and we will all understand when that
happens, but try.
2. What is a Limerick?
Lines one, two and five have to rhyme.
It's the Limerick way all the time.
And also, what's more,
The lines three and four
Must rhyme for perfection sublime.
And care must be taken with rhythm.
That's how a fine limerick's given
It's own special form.
'Round here it's the norm,
But mostly we're having fun with 'em!
For the purposes of this group a Limerick, MUST have:
· Five lines
· Lines one, two, and five MUST each have exactly three metric feet
· Lines three and four MUST each have exactly two metric feet
· The metric feet MUST be anapests (da da DUM) although the leading
foot of each line may be an iamb (da DUM) and the last foot of each
line may have a trailing unaccented syllable (da da DUM da). The
classic Limerick is consistent in the use of iambs and trailing
unaccented syllables, but this is not mandatory in recreational
Limericks.
· Lines one, two, and five MUST rhyme
· Lines three and four MUST rhyme
This is a Limerick, sound it out:
There ONCE was an OLD man from WHEEL-ing
Who HAD a pe-CUL-i-ar FEEL-ing
Said the SIGN on the DOOR
Please don't SPIT on the FLOOR
He JUMPED up and SPAT on the CEIL-ing.
If you can't sound out the da-da-DUMs, trash it.
3. What can I write about?
Wherever the Muse bids you - go!
The key word is 'innuendo'.
Be funny or sad,
But don't get too bad.
The F-word's a major no-no!
The subject of the limerick is yours to decide. It can be funny. It
can be sad. But it must not have explicit sex. Innuendo is the key
word here. It must not have language used for its shock value and in
all cases the F-word is a no-no.
4. Can I help someone with his or her writing?
Well, yes, you may help, but don't fight!
We all write the best we can write.
Words are not stones
And won't break our bones,
But two rudes don't make a polite.
Yes, please do. But remember to be diplomatic and polite. You would
not want anyone to tell you that you are a jerk and can not write
worth diddly. Remember other people have feelings too.
5. Where do I go if I want to write the bawdier more traditional
limerick?
The alt [dot] jokes [dot] lim'ricks group
Is where they jump thru' such a hoop.
If you feel the urge
Go there and purge,
But please don't mess up our sweet soup.
There is another group with a very adult tone. It is called
alt.jokes.limericks. Anyone who feels the urge to let it all hang out
should go there. If your server does not carry this group, you can ask
him to add it for you.
6. Are there other places to learn about limericks?
My goodness! Oh heavens! You bet!
There's thousands of them on the 'net.
It's almost absurd!
Just search on the word
"Limerick" and see what you get.
Heavens yes. A search of the word "limericks" turned up 2797 web
sites. So there is a lot of information on the limerick and
collections of limericks out there.
Here are some good places to start.
The Pentatette: http://limericks.org/pentatette/reply.html
The Edward Lear Homepage: http://edwardlear.tripod.com/
7. Some Online Tools To Help You Out.
WWWebster Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict.htm
Your Dictionary: http://www.yourdictionary.com/
The Rhyme Zone: http://www.rhymezone.com/
** Lims by Karen. Text by Azul
Azul
- Contused