Limericks! (Group 1)

After an enjoyable but at times taxing exploration of sonnets, I wanted to move to a lighter, more fun poetry form, to give both myself, and any of you readers a break from the most complex poems. What better choice for such a task than limericks.

I won't stay on them for long, maybe two or three weeks or a few grouped together. Though traditionally and technically limericks are supposed to be off-color or down right dirty in order to challenge a societal taboo, I won't be producing any dirty ones. Scholars and and more "famous" poets contend that the true wit of a limerick is lost when it is clean. I'm not prude, but I see few things less clever than dirty jokes/limericks. After all, just how many times can references to sex and genitalia be either entertaining or socially satirical? If I'm going to have a chuckle over some nonsense I'm writing, it's going to be about something a bit more creative, or at least surreal, than dick jokes. Sorry, scholars. You can be clever without being pornographic. So that's what I'm doing, as it is my site for my poems.

The limerick has been around since the early 1700's, it seems. For those who don't know, the rhyme scheme is AABBA. The meter is either anapestic or amphibrachic, for those into that sort of thing. But if you've ever heard a limerick, you know what the rhythm is, even if you don't know the name for it.

That's all the scholarly attention I'm going to give to it. As far as I'm concerned, they should be goofy and fun. That's certainly why I chose them for this brief exploration.

Here are my first group of five.

*

I went to New York on a dare.
(Though I don't know a soul living there.)
Spent all day on my feet while walking the street
'Cuz no cabby take poems for fare.

*

A priest poured a rabbi a drink,
But he spilled it all into the sink.
His friend said, "oy vey" and then walked away
And their friendship remains on the brink.

*

There once was a jackass named Brian.
If he was talking you knew he was lyin'.
He'll steal all your food, put you in a foul mood
And you'll hate him without even tryin'.

*

A man put his horse on the stage.
(He thought it would be all the rage.)
It took a big dump, and it never did jump,
So the man's wife said, "Jake, act your age."

*

Once an old man with a limp
Decided he wanted a blimp.
But the price was too high for the poor man to buy.
So he paid for it being a pimp.

Sonnet 16

With the following Italian form sonnet, (with a different CDCEDC sestant) I bring this exploration of sonnets to a close. I find this configuration possibly the most interesting of all of the Italian forms, with the orphaned "E" rhyme placed there in a powerful solitary position. So much was I fascinated by its possibilities that I almost extended my exploration of the sonnets for a while longer, in order to explore it alone.

But in the end, I decided that both my mind, and the blog have reached their fill of sonnets for now. I certainly intend to revisit them at some point, possibly starting with this very form. But for now, it is time to move on to another form. One that isn't quite so draining, perhaps.

As for subject matter, this is probably the most upbeat of all of the sonnets I have written. Sonnets are probably not generally associated with upbeat themes, but it feels appropriate to end my exploration with one that does so.

So next week, you will see something else. But for now enjoy this final sonnet of the exploration.

*

Assemble all precautions in your mind.
With relish now dismiss them one by one.
You'll feel much more alive when it is done.
We must move forward! Never fall behind!
Solicitude. Forgiveness. Being kind.
Protecting weaklings. Singing. Having fun.
To all, show mercy. Angry thoughts to none.
Don't let you better angels be denied.
The world is filled with every kind of strife,
And every day we face a simple choice:
Extend your empty hand, or wield a knife.
The former offers love, the latter fear.
Just put away the blade, and raise your voice.
Embrace the risks that come with living life.

Sonnet 15

This sonnet is of the same rhyme scheme as the previous sonnet of the Italian form. I find the form fascinating for reasons I got into in the last entry. I hope to do more of this pattern in a future exploration of the form, and I almost did so during this exploration, but next week will be my last sonnet for a while.

Until then, though, here is another in the Italian form. I find this one slightly better than my last one.

*

Apologies to those who would not care.
Within their mind, I never did them wrong.
Contrition from my heart would not belong.
Relationships that do not need repair.
Yet soon my life shall change. I must prepare.
My soul begins to sing a different song.
A fondness past that absence did prolong
Is now replaced by something that is rare.
My former loves for years had filled my dreams.
I'd conjure them when I was feeling weak.
I now relinquish my heart's hold on all.
(Save one who loves me truly now, it seems.)
Forgive me, Memories. I must withdraw.
No more your warm embraces will I seek.

Sonnet 14

I moved to another Italian form for this sonnet. The sestet has a CDE CED structure. It looks unnatural and not at all poetic for English, and at first it feels that way as well. Yet once I read the lines out loud, there was a certain fanciful yet organized meandering to the scheme, as though a poem in this form intends to follow a more symmetrical structure, digresses for a moment, and then remembers to right itself in the end. I wrote two in this pattern, but I think this one is the better of the two, even though I make use of a sort of unreliable narrator. I don't know if that is generally done with sonnets, but I did it with this one.

*

A tragic circumstance is not fair game
To contemplate new ways to woo and win.
I know the sort of pain she must be in,
But something stirs within me all the same.
Of all the selfish actions I could name,
The one I'm thinking of would be a sin.
I'm sure I'll get disowned by all my kin.
Such punishment is equal to my shame.
I don't enjoy the prospect of her pain!
And I could never cause it on my own.
Yet being there I cannot wish it gone...
I know the notion may appear profane,
That I appear to move her like a pawn.
But when I comfort her, I'm not alone.

Sonnet 13

Continuing with variations on the Italian form of the sonnet. I like the form of the sestet here, though I think it requires more thought and planning than does the Shakespearean form.

I leave the usual topic of romantic love or lust for this poem. I also have to play with word selection and sequence a bit more than I like. I'm happy to do it sometimes, but prefer to keep standard syntax when I can, though that simply isn't always possible when English is applied to the sonnet form. Especially more modern English. That being said, I wish I had done better with a few of the lines, and I wonder if sometimes I have enslaved myself too much to the specific meter, at the expense of a better poem. It wouldn't kill me to use a feminine ending or half-rhyme once in a while, I suppose. I am stubborn like that.

*

I will depart this place one final time.
No longer will I darken its front door.
It's like a second home to me no more.
My heart is off to find a better clime.
I'm hoping to forget just how sublime
That being here would make me feel before.
And gone the people that I did adore
Without a reason and without a rhyme.
If only I could leave my thoughts as well.
I do not wish to think of better days.
I wish instead to let my spirit roam,
And not within a memory-soaked hell.
To inner peace I have found many ways.
It all begins by leaving now for home.