I once had the good fortune to meet a pastor who loved writing limericks. This was no small undertaking; he had honed his skills to the point of constructing sermons comprised entirely of limericks! (I am not authorized to disclose this pastor’s name because his identity is being guarded by our denomination’s Limerick Pastor Protection Program.)
It’s possible that limerick-writing might be a useful skill for you to develop during your otherwise-serious sequestration. (Solving puzzles, knitting vestments and building forts in your back yard are also useful tasks, but authoring limericks might bring a special kind of delight to your *quotidian life.)
As you will recall, limericks are short, humorous verses with an aabba rhyming scheme. The rhythm of each of the first two and the last lines takes between seven to ten syllables, and the verbal cadence of each of the middle two lines uses five syllable-pulses. Although limericks are usually humorous or nonsensical—and sometimes bawdy—that’s not a requirement for this kind of poetry.
An invitation….
After reviewing some limerick collections—e.g., Edward Lear or Ogden Nash—think of some part of your current lifestyle that could benefit from the gentle humor of a limerick. Mix in a little whimsy as you invent rhymes. (Young readers might help you here.) Write several drafts of your limericks, try them out on other sequestrees and gather the finished poems into a surprise e-mail or text sent to someone whose sense of humor could use a boost.
A cautionary tale, though: There once was a writer named Robbie, who lacked an acceptable hobby. He had lots of time, so turned to The Rhyme. Which, alas, made Robbie quite snobby.
Just sayin’….
*I like to throw quotidian into my writing every so often, mostly for readers who roam crossword puzzles. I am certain that quotidian would seriously challenge the rhyming skills of the aforementioned Limerick Pastor.
