One of the oldest and most cherished forms of poetry, the limerick has been around for centuries. Long before his sonnets and plays made him famous, Shakespeare was paying his bills writing limericks for tourists. Sadly and unfortunately the Shakespearean limerick was lost along with his early attempts at gangster rap.

Luckily for us, other drunken bards have taken up the limerick and passed it down through the ages. We’re left with such classics as ‘There Once Was A Man From Nantucket.’

There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

So - if you’re feeling particularly creative today and are looking to write something that will last through history, here you go:

How To Write A Limerick

1. The limerick consists of 5 lines of verse, with a rhyming scheme of AABBA.

2. Lines 1, 2, & 5 each consist of 7 to 10 syllables and all rhyme (A).

3. Lines 3 & 4 have 5 to 7 syllables each and rhyme with each other (B).

4. The limerick is one form of poetry that is particularly known for being bawdy, lewd, and crude. So what this means for you is that really no topic is off limits.

5. We could get into stresses and which syllables to place them on, but seeing as how the majority of How2Blogger’s readers are above average, we’ll keep this really simple. Follow the rhyme scheme and the number of syllables and you should be alright - with limerick writing at least.

So - good luck with your efforts, feel free to leave your best attempt at a limerick in the comments. And I’ll leave you with 3 quicky examples that I wrote while going potty today.

There once was a blogger named Beth,
Who worked her poor fingers to death.
Her boss was a tard,
Boob sniffer in her yard,
It seems West Virginia’s all on Meth.

In South Texas lives a blogger named Karen.
Whose a little bit fond of swearing.
Her cat likes to pee pee
All over her little tee pee
I would have run him over with my ‘88 Chrysler Lebaron.

There once was a dude named Jason.
Who blogs and likes to poke fun.
It seems he likes apes,
Some sushi, maybe grapes?
And sometimes buys whale blubber by the ton.

Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. It has strict rules that govern the number of lines and syllables in the poem. Each Haiku consists of 3 lines, the first line with 5 syllables, the second with 7, and the third with 5 syllables. Typically, each Haiku is a single sentence that combines a concrete image of time and place with a vivid observation. Together, the two images work to evoke a certain mood and emotion within the reader.

Here’s an example of a Haiku by the poet Basho who lived in 17th century Japan and is considered by many to be the master of this form of poetry.

Now the swinging bridge
Is quieted with creepers
Like our tendrilled life

Often Haiku contain images of nature intersecting with the lives of the speaker in a way that leads to some sort of revelation. This poem by another Japanese poet Issa presents spring and a love song followed by an observation of being alone - most likely because the speaker also feels alone surrounded by signs of love.

A flowering plum
and a nightingale’s love song
he remains alone

How to Write a Haiku

1. Think of an image. Try to think of specific details, concrete images to describe. Write down words and thoughts provoked by the image.

2. Keep it simple. Organize your ideas and thoughts into the form of the poem.

Line 1 - 5 syllables

Line 2 - 7 syllables

Line 3 - 5 syllables

Try to begin by setting the place or time. Give a concrete example.

A flowering plum

Follow that by expressing a thought or emotion (though it’s not always necessary to say the feeling, but rather create it). Notice in Issa’s poem, the second line

and a nightingale’s love song

Notice he doesn’t say something like There’s love in the air or anything cliche like that, but simply gives another quick concrete idea or image - in this case a nightingale’s love song. In any case, combine the bird’s love song with the flowering fruit in the first line and the reader is left with feelings of love, spring and renewal.

The third line brings these observations of the natural world into sync with feelings from the speaker’s life by giving a simple observation:

he remains alone

This line should evoke in the reader a scene of the speaker observing these other things, yet observing these signs of love and spring while being alone in his own life.

3. Short, simple, sweet.

The Haiku may be one of the shortest forms of poetry, but it’s compact form serves to create some powerful images in the reader when done correctly. Good luck with your own Haiku writing efforts!