Limericks

Limericks have five lines, with the rhyming pattern AABBA. The first, second and last lines are longer than the B lines (third and fourth). Usually, the rhyming part of the A-lines is two or three syllables, while the last words of the B-lines are typically one syllable.

I think limericks are perfect for comedic poetry because the last line can often act as a twist and has the perfect comedic timing. The rhyme scheme somehow seems inherently comedic. So, I thought I'd include a humorous limerick but also show how the limerick form can be used to be serious, though serious limericks are pretty rare.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49916/to-my-daughter-in-a-red-coat

This poem, "To My Daughter in a Red Coat" by Anne Stevenson isn't necessarily dark, but it feels weird because it's not really humorous and to me feels kind of eerie. I thought I'd include it as an example of a semi-serious limerick that also doesn't follow the form exactly but is definitely a limerick.

https://libquotes.com/ogden-nash/quote/lbk7w6m

This poem, "There was a young belle of old natchez" by Ogden Nash, is one of my favorite comedic limericks specifically because Nash uses the rhymes in a funny way as you can see if you read it.