Photo of old pick-up truckFour Limericks by Paddy Raghunathan The Society August 10, 2023 Humor, Limerick 19 Comments . Pick-up Truck Dude This dude in his old pick-up truck Sped recklessly, riding his luck. __He swerved ‘round the bend, __Lost control in the end, And got his truck stuck in the muck. . . Sleeping Kitten The kitten slept, feeling quite smug, As snug as a bug in a rug. __With her paws in the air, __She dreamt she’d ensnare The mouse with a cheese-flavored drug. . . Stephen King An author by name of Steve King Touts slimy and grimy with zing. __His tales of great fright __Keep you up all night Till you yearn for sweet birdies to sing. . . Spicy Masala Her first taste of spicy masala Burned like a big spoonful of lava. __She reached for her drink, __Her scrunched face did think, “Next time, I will try it with raita.” . . Paddy Raghunathan is an IT Project Manager. His poems have appeared in Time Of Singing, A Journal For Christian Poetry, and in Ohio Poetry Association’s annual and ekphrastic anthologies. A translation of his from the Hindi language is featured in May 2023’s Creativity Webzine. In 2020, one of his sonnets appeared in the Cuyahoga County Library’s April Poetry Month collection online. In 2022, he was also a judge in Time Of Singing’s Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 19 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson August 10, 2023 Paddy, I enjoyed your limericks. I also learned that raita is a perfect cooling food for spicy masala! Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 10, 2023 Thanks Roy. Indeed it’s what we call the “fire extinguisher.” 😉 Glad you enjoyed the limericks. Paddy Reply Brian A. Yapko August 10, 2023 Slyly humorous, Paddy. You made me laugh! Well done. Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 10, 2023 Thank you sir. Reply Carey Jobe August 10, 2023 Paddy, I love a good limerick. All were well done. I laughed out loud about spicy masala. Been there, done that! Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 10, 2023 Thanks Carey. Reply Paul A. Freeman August 10, 2023 Oh, yes, you can’t beat a good limerick. Thanks for the reads, Paddy. Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 10, 2023 Thanks Paul. Reply Rohini August 10, 2023 These are a delight, Paddy. Thanks for posting them. Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 11, 2023 Thanks, Rohini. Reply Margaret Coats August 10, 2023 I’ve watched cats dreaming, but you, Paddy, surely came up with a unique concept for what might be in a feline dream! Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 11, 2023 Thanks, Margaret! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant August 11, 2023 Huge fun, Paddy! As one who adores curry, I’m drawn to ‘Spicy Masala’ – raita is a necessity when I fancy something spicy! LOL Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 11, 2023 Thanks Susan! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Best regards, Paddy Reply C.B. Anderson August 11, 2023 I hate to be the one to tell you, Paddy, but no one else has seen fit to speak up. A proper limerick consists of anapests, in a 3-3-2-2-3 array. Amphibrachs are also used, to good effect, in limericks. I’m not sure that your poems here even qualify as limericks, since you have deformed them beyond recognition. Let me give you an ideal example of a proper limerick: A reporter assigned Terra Haute Came awake with a pen in her throat. Since her lover had fled And had left her for dead, On her pillowcase “Murder” she wrote. I hope this helps. As it happens, few authors attempting to write limericks understand the form any better than you do. Reply Paddy Raghunathan August 16, 2023 Ah C.B., you appear to be a purist. Do note that Turco’s book of forms doesn’t insist that you use the 3-3-2-2-3 array. If you can, terrific, but you aren’t a killjoy if you don’t. Also, anapests and iambs can intersperse, according to Turco’s book of forms. My goal was to make folks laugh, and unfortunately I made you cringe. One of these days I will write an apology to you as a limerick in the strict 3-3-2-2-3 array you desire. 🙂 Reply The Society October 12, 2023 Dear Kip, I think if you read these again, you will find that the meter is quite solid. They do not begin with anapests, they are in amphibrachs (or perhaps clipped anapests), which you have mentioned above. They are in the same style as these Edward Lear limericks: https://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/BoN/bon010.html (unless you don’t consider Lear’s up to snuff?) -Evan Mantyk Reply C.B. Anderson January 23, 2024 Limericks demand a galloping rhythm, and I don’t care how one gets there as long as the meter is matched in rhyming lines. If Lear saw things differently, then too bad for him. C.B. Anderson January 23, 2024 Limericks demand a galloping rhythm, and I don’t care how one gets there as long as the meter is matched in rhyming lines. If Lear saw things differently, then too bad for him. 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Roy Eugene Peterson August 10, 2023 Paddy, I enjoyed your limericks. I also learned that raita is a perfect cooling food for spicy masala! Reply
Paddy Raghunathan August 10, 2023 Thanks Roy. Indeed it’s what we call the “fire extinguisher.” 😉 Glad you enjoyed the limericks. Paddy Reply
Carey Jobe August 10, 2023 Paddy, I love a good limerick. All were well done. I laughed out loud about spicy masala. Been there, done that! Reply
Paul A. Freeman August 10, 2023 Oh, yes, you can’t beat a good limerick. Thanks for the reads, Paddy. Reply
Margaret Coats August 10, 2023 I’ve watched cats dreaming, but you, Paddy, surely came up with a unique concept for what might be in a feline dream! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant August 11, 2023 Huge fun, Paddy! As one who adores curry, I’m drawn to ‘Spicy Masala’ – raita is a necessity when I fancy something spicy! LOL Reply
Paddy Raghunathan August 11, 2023 Thanks Susan! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Best regards, Paddy Reply
C.B. Anderson August 11, 2023 I hate to be the one to tell you, Paddy, but no one else has seen fit to speak up. A proper limerick consists of anapests, in a 3-3-2-2-3 array. Amphibrachs are also used, to good effect, in limericks. I’m not sure that your poems here even qualify as limericks, since you have deformed them beyond recognition. Let me give you an ideal example of a proper limerick: A reporter assigned Terra Haute Came awake with a pen in her throat. Since her lover had fled And had left her for dead, On her pillowcase “Murder” she wrote. I hope this helps. As it happens, few authors attempting to write limericks understand the form any better than you do. Reply
Paddy Raghunathan August 16, 2023 Ah C.B., you appear to be a purist. Do note that Turco’s book of forms doesn’t insist that you use the 3-3-2-2-3 array. If you can, terrific, but you aren’t a killjoy if you don’t. Also, anapests and iambs can intersperse, according to Turco’s book of forms. My goal was to make folks laugh, and unfortunately I made you cringe. One of these days I will write an apology to you as a limerick in the strict 3-3-2-2-3 array you desire. 🙂 Reply
The Society October 12, 2023 Dear Kip, I think if you read these again, you will find that the meter is quite solid. They do not begin with anapests, they are in amphibrachs (or perhaps clipped anapests), which you have mentioned above. They are in the same style as these Edward Lear limericks: https://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/BoN/bon010.html (unless you don’t consider Lear’s up to snuff?) -Evan Mantyk Reply
C.B. Anderson January 23, 2024 Limericks demand a galloping rhythm, and I don’t care how one gets there as long as the meter is matched in rhyming lines. If Lear saw things differently, then too bad for him.
C.B. Anderson January 23, 2024 Limericks demand a galloping rhythm, and I don’t care how one gets there as long as the meter is matched in rhyming lines. If Lear saw things differently, then too bad for him. Reply