Happy Birthday Edward Lear! Plus Poetry Challenge ‘Stuff and Nonsense’ Limerick

Today is the birthday of English poet, artist and  illustrator Edward Lear (1812 – 1888).  He is is most famous for his limericks which became very popular and his literary nonsense writing. 

Among other poems ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ is probably one of his more famous.  He started his working life as an artist and illustrator and in 1832 even worked for the London Zoological society, providing illustrations of birds .  He drew and painted throughout his career and even wrote travel books as well as publishing poetry.  His poems are irreverent and poke fun at life, people and even himself. 

So, in honour of this poet who provided many with much amusement, the challenge this time is in the form of a short Limerick.  If you don’t know what a Limerick is – here’s some examples by Lear;-

 There was a Young Lady whose chin,
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp,
And purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.

There was an Old Man of Aôsta,
  Who possessed a large Cow, but he lost her;
  But they said, ‘Don’t you see,
  she has rushed up a tree?
  You invidious Old Man of Aôsta!’

There was an Old Lady of Chertsey,

Who made a remarkable curtsey;

She twirled round and round, Till she sunk underground, Which distressed all the people of Chertsey.

More about Lear here Lear verses here and also here

The rules are simple;- write a short limerick about anything, the funnier and quirkier and sillier the better (as in the style of the 5 lines Lear limerick). 

Link to this post and challenge by a direct link and mention clearly which blog the challenge is from (Bookstains) and I will put it on the page, tweet it, link to it and give your blog a mention. 

You can use the button if you want  – that’s all there is to it, so don’t forget to link.

 To start off – here’s one I wrote earlier ( I have taken liberties with it 😀  – but alls fair in Limerick land.  If you look at Lear’s examples you will find the last word of the first line are identical to the last word of the Limerick – mine isn’t)

The blog with the strange quirky name

Has great hopes that it shall shoot to fame.

It’s an interesting blog

Which will keep you agog

‘It’s my favorite!’ I hear you proclaim!

©2011 Lynda M Roberts

Well, here’s the first one (two really)  they are  from Jessica from Jessicas Japes who has a most interesting and highly original blog full of very individual poetry and prose – please take a look!

There once was a girl called Jessie,
Who was forever so damn messy,
She dribbled her coffee,
Then snorted a bogey,
And licked up both from her dressy!

© Jessica D’Angelo 2011

(And here’s a more adult one – so click away now if you’d rather not read it!)

There was a girl called Cunny,
In bed she was oh so funny,
She did love to lick,
It gave her a kick,
Ms Lingus was such a hunny!

© Jessica D’Angelo 2011

(Both were inspired by Lynda’s post about Edward Lear over at Bookstains)

The next contribution is from Adam Dustus whose Onestop poetry blog is a must for poets who love poetry and poetry challenges.  To read his other contributions to the Bookstains challenges just click his link to me 🙂

There still lives a girl in Hoboken
Who normally showed no emotion
We both fell in love
Thought it fate from above
She stomped on my heart until broken

©Adam Dustus 2011

Here is a GOTHIC (you have to whisper that word in a Vincent Price voice) from  Wendy Woo who has a beautifully dark and sensuous blog which I’m sure you will LOVE!

Goth limerick

There once was a girl who was goth

At the mouth she began to froth

She suddenly wheezed

Then she quickly sneezed

And coughed up a  little moth!

©Wendy Woo 2011