National Limerick Day is May 12th

Well, is this more fun than poets should be allowed to have, or what??  An actual day where people all over the world come together to celebrate the talent of crafting the LIMERICK!  (Party on, Garth)

The date of May 12th was chosen to host this writing holiday in celebration of the birthdate of English artist, illustrator, author and poet, Edward Lear. While certain, Lear’s parents would take credit for Lear’s creation, I was not able to find any source for the creation of this special day. 

A limerick, you say? What on earth…   Okay, write 5 lines of poetry with the 1st, 2nd and 5th rhyming with each other and the 3rd and 4th rhyming with each other. Keep the 3rd and 4th a bit shorter than the other three and you pretty much have a limerick. If you were to do a bit more digging, you will find some actual specifics as to how to craft each line. For instance, once source I found, addressed a specific syllable count (holy haiku or what).  Of course, when reading a successful limerick, you can hear the meter, so that would make sense.  So if you must count them out, then by gosh, GO FOR IT!  Most of all, HAVE FUN!!!

Naturally, there is a w-i-d-e field of play here, lots of room for interpretation and of course plenty of opportunity to infuse a rhyme with one’s personality. Play around with combinations, read several limericks and see what you, yourself, can come up with.

Want to take it a step further? Check out

http://www.limerickcentral.co.uk/competition/how-it-works.html

They hold a weekly competition on their small, independent website.

I am not, personally, hosting a challenge, I just wanted to stir the pot, plant a seed or two and see if others might find a bit of fun in writing a limerick.  Have at it and let’s see the smoke from your pens!