Limericks 03 – A preview of the finalists

An invitation to take a peek at the Limerick Contest’s 

semi-finalists and the chance to vote on the best.

Well, we just couldn’t wait. We have to show you some of the limericks that have been entered in our second, grand-slam limerick contest. For any of you out there who still want to get lemony-limericky, you have a little over ten days (i.e., 30 March 2024 at midnight) to still get in the game. 

We acknowledge that we said we would give you bawdy-taboo limericks – the ones that garner red cheeks and puckered mouths – and we will still do that in the post that follows this one. We are going to forego “other funny, short poetic forms,” and “Shakespeare fooling around with limericks. He had enough on his hands with his dark lady.

So far, we have had the pleasure of choosing our semi-finalists from a plethora of mighty fine poets each with a rollicking sense of humor and a light-hearted view of living the limerick life.

In case you are interested, here are the criteria (some bordering on rules) that are the lion’s share of what makes a limerick a limerick:

• Creativity
• Cliches not allowed
• Light-heartedness a plus
• More than a few yuks
• Modest requirements
• Rhymes, if you please, but optional
• Standard rhyme pattern: AABBA – also amenable to variation
• Syllable count by line is something like 9-9-6-6-9
• Leeway to play around
• Humor – Fun – Dangerous at cocktail parties, if such things still exist.

The wonderful thing about limericks is that anyone can write them. The simple rhythm and form are ideal for anyone inclined to write something silly.

LIMERICK SEMI-FINALISTS

Here are the semi-finalists in the Limerick Contest. Please vote for two and send the numbers of your choices to Jack Pine Savage at catherineastenzel@gmail.com. Also, pass on the contest information to your friends and enemies; you don’t have to be an Wannaskan Almanac reader or writer to win.

1.

There once was a man from New Haven

Who said he was giving up shaving

His wife said alas

No kiss from this lass

Thus his beard was soon lost in a cave in

2.

You call for a limerick bawdy

O Catherine you are very nawdy

To compose such a rhyme

Will take extra time

I must start with a very hot toddy

3. 

There once was a chairman named Joe,

who liked to walk out in the snow.

All quiet and still,

Through each valley and hill,

He much prefers taking life slow.

4.

J P S and her dear husband Woe

like watering words so they grow.

Tucked in close to the woods,

they eschew silly shoulds.

Like spring rivers their ideas do flow

5.

There was a mad writer named Joe

Who knew how to make his words flow 

Whether wisdom or pun

He had lots of fun

As he built his squib portfolio

6. 

Der vonce vas a poet from Virginny

Her vit it vas big, no not mini.

Tho she's not Norvegian

Her vords flow artesian,

Dis is da teapoet skinny.

You can’t help your favorite limerick poet(s) win this contest if you don’t vote. Again, vote for two poems by their numbers. By midnight, 30 March 2024, email your choices to Jack Pine Savage at catherineastenzel@gmail.com. 

Keep in mind that there is still time to enter the contest. New semi-finalists’ limericks will b considered through 30 March 2024 at midnight. So, you challenged poets, get off your limera**es and join the game. (See instructions at the beginning of this post.) 

The 28 March post will continue to present more limericks, only that post will showcase only bawdy poems, bawdy being the touchstone of some of the finest limericks. Already we have two entries in the bawdy category. Any entries to this group will receive special consideration. You should know that we already have two bawdy limericks in the mix. So, take a chance on winning the prize regardless of your limericks’ superfluity. 

The winners will be announced within the blog post of 1 April 2024.