Through the Dark–Limerick

There must be something evading my sight

And not just irrational fright

Out there in the darkness

Lurking or something like this

That keeps my dog up barking all night.

.

But if I lie awake through the dark

Because the dog does nothing but bark,

The next meal that I sup

Will involve this young pup,

And my word, my dear, you can mark.

***

A limerick is a five-line poem where the first, second, and fifth lines are long and the third and fourth lines are short. There seems to be quite a lot of variation between the examples of limericks that I have seen. But the long lines tend to be eight, nine, or ten syllables in length, and the short lines tend to be five, six, or seven syllables in length. Typically, the three long lines rhyme with each other and the two short lines rhyme with each other. But the rhyme scheme is subject to change on the whim of the poet. Limericks are often humorous poems consisting of a single stanza. However, they don’t have to be funny and limericks can be linked together in multiple stanzas to form a longer poem. If you want to learn more about limericks or any other poetry term, you can check out the Glossary of Poetic Terms at Poetry Foundation here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms?letter=L

Advertisement