The book cover leads to information about the observance and history of this unofficial holiday honoring Edward Lear, widely acknowledged as creator of the addictive little form known as limerick. The following examples of the fun and form were written by members of the Poets Initiative group on allpoetry.com as an exercise in nonsensical wordplay. The last one also exemplifies the limerick spirit, which generally leans toward bawdier fare.
Feel free to add a reasonably clean one of your own in the comments section.
When I heard my wife squeal from our room
I came running to save her from doom.
She was up on a chair
And said, “Lim’ricks! Beware!”
So I squashed the foul things with a broom!
-William Keller
I’m sorry for being away –
I had very little to say.
There’s so much to do.
Write poems for you?
Of course – but how much will you pay?
-Tom Ling
An invisible line in the sand
shows a poet how close he can stand
to the meter maid’s ruler.
Don’t act like a fool or
she’ll whack on the back of your hand.
-Mary Boren
The maid was addicted to meter
And so good that no one could beat her
Till her dactyls entwined
In that anapest line
And the meter bit back like a skeeter
-Glenn Meisenheimer
A girl who will let the boys use her
will likely end up with a loser
while that’s not an excuse
for domestic abuse
a loser is oft an abuser.
-Lawrence Eberhart
Tricked Out
There was a young lady of fashion
who thought, “With my looks, I could cash in.
I’ll offer a sample
of attributes ample,
and live off the fruits of my passion.”
-Sharon Anderson
I’ve never been one who’s been smitten
My vice is the couch that I sit in
And I’ll not move my feet
Just to make you a seat
Good luck on a man who’s committin’.
-Gregory James
Biology’s cause for the man’s
option to pee while he stands.
Some text while they do
but I pity the fool
’cause I have to use both my hands.
-Kenneth Henry