LIMERICK.
Undervalued, the form of limerick
Sweetly lilting, primarily rhythmic
It’s assumed to relay
What is petty and gay
Universally viewed as a gimmick.
What is scarcely given attention
Is that limerick creates a suspension
From reality
In the way that one sees
And entirely alters perception.
One may discuss topics quite dismal,
The gloomy, the harsh, the abysmal
But put it in limerick
With all of its antics-
The topic becomes almost cheerful.
Hate speech becomes comical mumbles
And famine- abdominal grumbles
And all the great palls-
All the world’s greatest falls-
Are reduced to a series of stumbles.
Therein lies limerick’s magic,
It allows us to cope with the tragic
We’d do well to elect
To accord some respect
To the powerful form of the limerick.
This is great, Yael. I also really enjoy playing around with whimsical poetry in meter and form so I respect this clever use of the limerick! It's particularly funny because if a use of limerick is poking fun at other things, it's clever to write a limerick making fun of itself, with the goal of taking it more seriously! Twisted and cool stuff :):):)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting because in discussing an abstract poetic form I suppose it's difficult not to speak in abstractions. The second and third stanzas are a little abstract, I think it's the phrases "a suspension from reality" and "the gloomy the harsh the abysmal" -- but I don't particularly want you to change them, they do work for me, it's just an observation.
But it is cool to contrast those with the fourth stanza which is one of my favorites, when the speaker breaks down this process of making the abysmal comical, and shows us how it's done, I love "and famine- abdominal grumbles." I think the lyrics fit best in meter here too
I think I would change the words "magic" and "powerful" in the ending, though I do appreciate the imagery they createy of this enchanting magic wand that is limerick.
The meter is pretty remarkably spot on barring a few exceptions, and I think an excellent case is made for the limerick!
this limerick is so cute! i love how you wrote a limerick to talk about limericks - very well done! it could just be the way i pronounce it but does limerick rhyme with antics and magic? I love the order of the stanzas and how they each show the power of the limerick. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI think it was a cool idea to write a limerick in the form of a limerick. Also, the word limerick isnt easy to fit in to a form that is so constraining, and you were able to, for the most part.
ReplyDeleteYou also had some really nice sounding lines in there! I was especially blown away by these:
"Sweetly lilting, primarily rhythmic
It’s assumed to relay
What is petty and gay"
This was a clever way to begin and it really set the tone for the whole poem!
My only issue was that you seemed to bend from the regular limerick structure a few times and that through me off. I would have rather you'd stuck to the rhyming more strictly.
Thought this poem was so cute and loved the following lines: "What is scarcely given attention
ReplyDeleteIs that limerick creates a suspension. " Loved that rhyme and the rhyme in "Hate speech becomes comical mumbles
And famine- abdominal grumbles" . Really enjoyed the whole poem and thought it was one of your best!