Limericks are one of my favorite forms of poetry. They’re short, fun to write, and are usually meant to be humorous. (They were also my go-to distraction in school when I had trouble paying attention in class.)

Limericks are five lines long, and these are the number of syllables in each line:

9

9

6

6

9

Try writing your own! They’re fun to write and read aloud because they have a catchy rhythm. The number of syllables doesn’t have to be exactly what I’ve given above. You could have 8 in the first line and 5 instead of 6 in one of the middle lines. What matters is the rhythm. You’ll be able to hear if it sounds right. Here are some of mine:

There is a girl in Zimbabwe

Who bought a new toilet today

She put her head in

To see what was within

And whoosh! She was flushed away.

***

A man who thought he was really cool

Decided he was much too smart for school

He said, “Know it I do

One plus three equals two

That proves for sure I’m no fool!”

***

I used to think math was no fun

Till I saw how much I could get done

So now I write poems

While the teacher drones

And now I enjoy math a ton.

***

A plant of diminutive size

Felt sure he would meet his demise

He started to cry

Said, “Surely I’ll die!”

He could not photosynthesize.

***

There once was a poor little sheep

And all he could do was weep

For it must be confessed

He failed his math test

And his A he would no longer keep.

***

There once was a green and speckled frog

Who hated doing math ’cause of logs

Each time that he’d fail

He’d let out a wail

And try to drown himself in a bog.

***

I feel like drinking a cup of tea

Perhaps watching ships sail by the sea

I want to close my eyes

Tilt my head to the sky

And just soak in that salty sea breeze.

***

Lenin’s mood was quite sour

He waited until the right hour

He said, “Let us rise!”

So it was no surprise

That the Bolsheviks soon came to power.

***

Lenin cried to the awaiting crowd,

“All power to the Bolsheviks, now!

“We must overthrow

“We cannot be slow!”

The response could be heard clear and loud.

***

Lenin was feeling insecure

So he had the Cheka instill terror

The secret police

It did not use peace

But methods of violence and torture.

***

There once was a boy named Michael

And all he would do was recycle

He was so obsessed

He just wouldn’t rest

Until the end of his life cycle.

***