Limerick-Off Monday – Rhyme Word: RIGHT or WRITE or RITE at the end of any one line (Submission Deadline: January 8, 2022)

It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same rhyme word. Then you post your limerick(s) as a comment to this post and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.

I hope you’ll join me in writing limericks using RIGHT or WRITE or RITE at the end of any one line. (Homonyms or homophones are fine.)

The best submission will be crowned Limerick-Off Award Winner. (Here’s last week’s Limerick-Off Award Winner.)

Additionally, you may write themed limericks related to SHOTS, using any rhyme word. And of course I’ll present an extra award — one for the best SHOTS-related limerick.

How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, cleverness, and humor. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here’s my How To Write A Limerick article.)

I’ll announce the winners on January 9, 2022, right before I post the next Limerick-Off. So that gives you two full weeks to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time.)

Here’s my RIGHT or WRITE or RITE-rhyme limerick:

I do NOT do a lot of conversing;
Too much small talk will likely spur cursing.
Why prattle, or fight?
I would much rather write
And indulge in some rhyme-world immersing.

And here’s my SHOTS-themed limerick:

“My boss enjoys calling the shots.
And he likes to tie staff up in knots.
He’s a dim bulb and dolt,
Who once caused a revolt.
Seems at birth he was shorted some watts.”

Please feel free to enter my Limerick-Off by posting your limerick(s) in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity on my Facebook Limerick-Off post.

To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please email Madkane@MadKane.com Subject: MadKane’s Newsletter. Thanks!

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187 Responses to “Limerick-Off Monday – Rhyme Word: RIGHT or WRITE or RITE at the end of any one line (Submission Deadline: January 8, 2022)”

  1. Lisi Nortman says:

    Love “police shows”, I’ve always admired
    Those cops who do just what’s required.
    Like Trump at debates.
    Who stands there and waits
    To mouth off his trumped-up shots fired.

  2. Lisi Nortman says:

    Just Who Are These Parker Brothers?
    “Play With Your Kids”

    Play “Monopoly” all day and night,
    Cuz your children just must see the light.
    When in jail, there’s no doubt
    You can bribe your way out.
    Is that wrong, or perhaps a bit right?

  3. Lisi Nortman says:

    “Slow Learner”

    The first 2 lines have an “end rhyme”
    Think of words, such as dime, crime, and mime.
    The middle is tight.
    And that’s how you write
    A lim’rik, (It took me 5 years)

  4. Fred Bortz says:

    Two brothers whose last name was Wright
    Are known for the first powered flight.
    If you’re wondering who
    Was the brother that flew,
    It was Orville, because he was light.

  5. Lisi Nortman says:

    Mama said, “It is time to desire
    A husband who always aims higher.”
    I performed “Mama’s Rite”
    “Hub” and I fought each night.
    He was my sweet baptism of fire.

  6. Lisi Nortman says:

    LOL! LOL! LOL! Limerick #3 was my limerick, attempting to teach someone
    a limerick. And my limerick example was INCORRECT!
    Ya gotta laugh. (I did) I will try to redeem myself.

    Don’t sit there and cry salty tears.
    It’s easier than it appears.
    I shall teach you to write
    A lim’rik tonight.
    Unlike mine were for five solid years.

  7. Lisi Nortman says:

    My Vacation

    My foot fell asleep on the flight,
    Yet the rest of my body felt right.
    Then at the hotel,
    I slept very well,
    But my foot stayed awake through the night.

  8. Lisi Nortman says:

    Yes, this is her name: Dr. Jennifer Schott. ( 49 S. Waukegan Rd.
    Deerfield, IL.) PEDIATRICIAN !! (about 10 minutes from my apartment)

    A shot, to a kid is a plot.
    They’ll do anything, so they will not
    Get poked, (wow, they scream)
    To a real loud extreme!
    Ain’t no tot who wants shots from Doc. Schott.

  9. Sharon Neeman says:

    On the one hand, Mom hated my weight;
    On the other, she loved when I ate.
    Now, I know it’s not right —
    But with old age in sight,
    I still thrill when my kids clean their plate!

  10. Sharon Neeman says:

    “Shots,” she said — ah, but which definition?
    Is it “firing of live ammunition”?
    Is it “throws of a ball”
    Or “distilled alcohol” —
    Or “the jabs that ward off the mortician”?

  11. Brian Allgar says:

    Said Stravinsky, “My schedule is tight;
    My publishers called me last night
    To commission a song
    About righting a wrong,
    But I’m too busy writing a Rite.”

  12. Sharon Neeman says:

    Wright (a writer self-styled) published “Rite”;
    The reviews said “Prolix, crude and trite.”
    The chagrined author vowed,
    “Write? No more! I’m allowed
    To go right to the bar and get tight.”

  13. Brian Allgar says:

    The photographer’s English was lean;
    The police soon arrived on the scene.
    His mistake was to state
    To the guard on the gate
    “I have come to take shots at your Queen.”

  14. Tim James says:

    After pounding nine shots of sloe gin
    I took note of her come-hither grin.
    So we went to her place.
    But oh God, the disgrace!
    I was wholly unable to sin.

  15. Fred Bortz says:

    Inspired by the title of my late sister’s first book: Fertility Rights by Fay Nedra Zachary.

    They observed a fertility rite
    But conception remained out of sight.
    The problem was this:
    Though they knew how to kiss,
    They failed the delight of the night.

  16. Lisi Nortman says:

    1952

    Arithmetic gave me a fright.
    And never could I see the light.
    My teacher, Miss Sleazy
    Said, “Try this one, it’s easy:
    1 wrong +1 wrong equals right.”

  17. Fred Bortz says:

    There are days when the rhymes that I write
    Fill my readers with raucous delight,
    But most mornings my verse
    Could not be any worse.
    I do my best writing at night.

  18. Fred Bortz says:

    A tragedy in Limerick form

    He was told that a Pfizer injection
    Can mean that a COVID infection
    Is much less severe,
    But he still wouldn’t hear
    ‘Cause his Trumpism gave him protection.

    Then one day he started to cough,
    And though he continued to scoff.
    He never had thoughts
    Of the value of shots
    ‘Til the doc turned his life support off.

  19. Lisi Nortman says:

    Though them experts are clever and bright,
    The gene pool still gives me a fright.
    I look all around
    And never have found
    A lifeguard, and that just ain’t right.

  20. Fred Bortz says:

    Poetic (limericious) Justice

    He cared aught for the unemployed’s plight.
    “Owning Libruls,” his source of delight
    ‘Til a passel of trouble
    Burst his comf’torble bubble.
    Now he no longer leans to the Right.

  21. Lisi Nortman says:

    The true definition of tedious: “Foundation” by Issac Azimov

    Issac Asimov: awesomely bright!
    Biochemist, and so outta’ sight.
    He taught at B.U.
    Had a PHD too.
    But this whiz never learned how to write.

  22. Lisi Nortman says:

    Better: limerick from 2 AM this morning (#8)
    Dr. Jennifer Schott, an actual pediatrician from Deerfield, IL

    All kids think that shots are a “plot.”
    They’ll do anything, so they will not
    Get poked, (wow they scream)
    To a real loud extreme.
    Not one tot wants a shot from Doc Schott.

  23. Lisi Nortman says:

    Revision: For all those writers who remember me way back when

    Don’t cry all those big baby tears.
    It’s easier than it appears.
    I shall teach you to write
    A lim’rik tonight,
    Unlike mine which sure sucked for 5 years.

  24. Rudy Landesman says:

    Studied ballet, break dancing and tap
    To Tchaikovsky, Count Basie and rap.
    And now I’m eighty-five
    Got my shot to dance live
    At venues all over the map.

  25. Rudy Landesman says:

    A bris is a wonderful rite.
    A party, a feast, a delight.
    The spirits are high,
    But one must wonder why
    That baby just cries out of spite.

  26. Rudy Landesman says:

    You ask me just why do I write.
    In earnest I think that I might
    Deserve a real shot
    To have (or have not?)
    Some honorable mentions in sight.

  27. Sharon Neeman says:

    There’s a faction that’s riddled with twits
    Who have far more polemic than wits:
    “Don’t get jabbed!” they all cry
    As folks sicken and die —
    So they’re both anti-shots and pro shits.

  28. Each morning I make myself write
    even when no ideas are in sight.
    With a limerick like this,
    I’m just taking the piss,
    but it beats nothing at all (right?).

  29. Lisi Nortman says:

    “Bar Mitzvah” The coming-of-age tradition for a 13 year old Jewish boy
    Same back in the fifties with one difference:

    The Bar Mitzvah was such a delight.
    The service, and party that night.
    But more vital, yet
    The boy would then get
    A fountain pen, so he could write.

  30. Lisi Nortman says:

    How To Find The Man Of Your Dreams

    The “Match” site was down, yet I got
    A date who was fine and real hot.
    I clicked on “Save Me”
    Found a cute escapee.
    Who had a real stunning mug shot.

  31. Don Lee says:

    I do have my right
    to say and think what I might
    but just in case
    it comes down to saving face
    I’ll wait until you see the light

  32. Don Lee says:

    They call it a jab
    a more accurate term than blab
    than shooting fear
    here, there, and everywhere
    as common place gab

  33. Lisi Nortman says:

    Professor Blotter Teaches “Novel Writing”

    “Now students, you must take a seat.
    To pen a great novel’s a feat.
    Do not get uptight.
    Here’s the best way to write:
    Never never repeat and repeat.”

  34. Lisi Nortman says:

    Professor Blotter’s Next Class (I think Shakespeare did this, just a thought)

    “At times you can just not prevent it.
    But certainly, do not resent it.

  35. Lisi Nortman says:

    Oops! I just pressed “submit”
    Professor Blotter’s Next Class (I think Shakespeare did this, just a thought)

    “At times, you can just not prevent it.
    But certainly, do not resent it.
    Ev’ry time that you write,
    Do not feel uptight.
    Can’t find the right word? Just invent it.”

  36. Just moments from sliding off slacks.
    I am shot with remorse, making tracks.
    Though a sensuous sight,
    He is clearly not right.
    It’s between those two ears that he lacks.

  37. Just moments from sliding off slacks.
    I am shot with desire. What he packs!
    A sensuous sight,
    He is clearly not right.
    Who cares, just a brain that he lacks.

  38. Clay Wild says:

    There’s a guy I know, his name’s Dwight
    A car accident (side-swiped…) his plight
    Whole left side paralyzed
    Doctor said, I surmised…
    “The BAD news is that NOW you’re ALL RiGHT!”

  39. Clay Wild says:

    Missing ‘that’ one little word…

    There’s a guy that I know, his name’s Dwight
    A car accident (side-swiped…) his plight
    Whole left side paralyzed
    Doctor said, I surmised…
    “The BAD news is that NOW you’re ALL RiGHT!”

  40. Clay Wild says:

    Not Right!

    Say goodbye to inalienable rights
    It’s the perfect storm of human plights
    Soon we’ll all be left handed
    We’ll all limp and be stranded
    And we’ll have to turn left at the lights!

  41. Terry Marter says:

    She fell deeply in love, -at first sight,
    with a left-handed guy in the night.
    The mollydooker was deft
    but he Left her bereft,
    with a feeling that wasn’t quite Right!

  42. Clay Wild says:

    My friend Lloyd watches flicks (as his Rite…)
    As he sits, he’ll produce cellulite…
    Fitness coach threatened him,
    “Better get to the gym!
    Tell you Lloyd, celluloid, not tonight!”

  43. Lisi Nortman says:

    I sure got in trouble last night.
    With Judge Hanging, I had a big fight!
    I raised my left hand.
    I guess that is banned.
    On the Bible I then placed the right.

  44. Dave Johnson says:

    Some folks are refusing the shot;
    They claim it’s some kind of a plot.
    And maybe they’re right;
    Mother Nature just might
    Be setting them up to get caught.

  45. Lisi Nortman says:

    What???

    There’s one phrase that sure makes me uptight.
    It’s meaningless, silly and trite.
    I will not abide
    And always decide
    When I do or do not “Have The Right.”

  46. Lisi Nortman says:

    Mama: long gone, but never forgotten

    Wouldn’t call it “the utmost delight,”
    Cuz it’s phony, and yet it is right.
    The hand that you shake
    Might feel like a snake.
    (Wish she’d never said, “Son, be polite”)

  47. Lisi Nortman says:

    Highland Park Pediatrics, where I worked for 9 years.
    “Experience”

    Some parents mistrusted a shot.
    Not concerned if their sweet children got
    Pertussis, or mumps
    Nasty chicken pox lumps.
    They bring flowers to Mary Jane’s plot.

  48. Dave Johnson says:

    Jen’s husband was trying to write
    A poem he hoped would excite
    Her passionate side.
    But the more that he tried,
    His assonance failed to ignite.

  49. Dave Johnson says:

    A couple of changes for the above:

    Jen’s husband was trying to write
    A poem he hoped would ignite
    Her passionate side.
    But as hard as he tried,
    His assonance failed to excite.

  50. Lisi Nortman says:

    Never step on a crack; it’s not right!
    Cuz the demon will come into sight!
    And the reason that I
    Am sure you will die
    Is I’m Mr. Flip Side Of Bright.

  51. Lisi Nortman says:

    It’s Saturday night, and you might
    Feel like square dancing most of the night.
    It’s that one special time
    And even a crime
    If you don’t know your left from your right.

  52. Mark G. Kane says:

    This Birthday provided his right
    To drink, but he wasn’t that bright.
    Swigging shot after shot,
    They soon found him besot,
    And he ended the night in a fight.

  53. Lisi Nortman says:

    Doc said, “It is surely alright
    For Viagra to give you delight.”
    But it wouldn’t stop working.
    I smiled and was perking.
    I guess I’ll be in for the night.

  54. Clay Wild says:

    Just my luck, hole-in-sock, from dog bite
    I’ve been hosed, sew it would seam, my plight…
    To hand sew, on one’s lap
    Or let Singer fill the gap
    Many ways to mend your ways – darn right!

  55. Clay Wild says:

    “Drinks on me!”, my SHORT friend Price did say
    So we all started drinking away
    We drank strong shots all night
    The bar tab – outta sight!
    Didn’t care – since a ‘SMALL Price’ to pay!

  56. Lisi Nortman says:

    Correction of limerick from yesterday at 12:19 PM It needed 2 parentheses
    for better understanding.

    I sure got in trouble last night.
    With Judge Hanging, (we had a big fight)
    I raised my left hand.
    (I guess that is banned)
    On the Bible, I then placed my right.

  57. Lisi Nortman says:

    Wrote my book, and then something occurred.
    It was dumb, it was daft and absurd.
    From now on, when I write
    I’ll at last see the light.
    And make I won’t leave out a word.

  58. Lisi Nortman says:

    My Drive To Work

    I hated my job, got the trotts.
    And then I got tied up in knots.
    Fine’ly bought me some gin.
    And before I went in,
    I’d take about 25 shots.

  59. Sally Franz says:

    I love Christmas cookies, tis true
    But my scale this habit does rue
    While my waistband is tight
    It’s a New Year’s Eve rite
    To eat every last one til I’m blue

  60. Tim James says:

    A randy young gal named Costello
    Hooked up with a like-minded fellow.
    He lied that he’d write
    When he left her that night.
    When it comes to commitment, he’s yellow.

  61. Lisi Nortman says:

    Okay! Now I shall try your suggestion of using more words to correct a limerick. It is an improvement of previous one.

    It’s Saturday evening, you might
    Feel like square dancing most of the night.
    It’s that one special time,
    (Maybe even a crime)
    If you don’t know your left from your right.

  62. Lisi Nortman says:

    I went to a serious meeting
    Bout birds and just how they’re competing.
    Are they left-wing or right?
    Just watch them in flight!
    The answer is “right” cause they’re tweeting.

  63. Lisi Nortman says:

    Political Disagreement! “Who’s Right?”
    (An addition to above limerick)

    I went to a serious meeting
    ‘Bout birds and just how they’re competing.
    Are they left-wing or right?
    Just watch them in flight!
    And you’ll notice they always are tweeting.

    And then came the loud altercation!
    Concerning this strange situation!
    Are birds left-wing or right?
    Just watch them in flight!
    They seem to be all pro-migration!

  64. Lisi Nortman says:

    “They all seem to be pro-migration” (Sorry, I got my words twisted)

  65. Rudy Landesman says:

    I know this may sound rather trite.
    Just doing what you think is right,
    And wearing a laurel
    Proclaiming “I’m moral”
    Won’t get you to heaven. Not quite.

  66. Rudy Landesman says:

    I never hang out with the right
    And the guys on the left are a fright,
    For the addlebrained middle
    I don’t give a fiddle.
    My views, man, are way outta sight.

  67. Terry Marter says:

    I’ve had all my shots of A-Zee, –
    It’s all ‘rocket surg’ry’ to me.
    Could’ve given me Pfizer
    I’d be none the wiser, –
    Get pricked and be quick, – that’s the Key.

  68. Terry Marter says:

    Innocent remark (Hubby never lies!)

    Windy weather! (we ‘banged’ through the night).
    I said “Guy, fix this bed, – it’s not right.”
    – Told the woman next door
    “…It’s our mail-box, – loose floor.
    Hubby says he checked Your box, – It’s Tight!”

  69. It had seemed to be love at first sight;
    I had finally found Mr. Right!!
    Then those fresh bloody stains
    And those human remains
    In his trunk gave me pause; I took flight.

  70. Every March, sales of Jello increase,
    As students, in search of release,
    Head on down to the ocean
    And – slathered in lotion –
    Let loose in a Spring Break caprice

  71. Clay Wild says:

    Noah, as the proverbial boatwright
    Labored hard, sometimes we’ll after twilight
    As they came, two-by-two
    He knew just what to do…
    Brought 2 lawyers for issues with birthright!

  72. Clay Wild says:

    Said my wife, “It’s now time for our shots…”
    Needle-nervous, my stomach in knots
    Till she flashed me that grin…
    Mixed some VAX with some gin
    And for lunch, VA-infused tater-tots!

  73. Lisi Nortman says:

    shot and write

    I don’t sleep, I am up the whole night.
    I guess I’m not really that bright.
    Still can’t think of a plot.
    My morale is just shot.
    It takes so much time not to write.

  74. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    His political drive on the wane,
    Otto thought, “I’ve got caught in this lane.”
    Then the young neophyte
    Swerved too far to the right.
    Now there’s nothing much left of his brain.

  75. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    New Year’s Eve’s truly Cleve’s kind of night —
    When he gawks at the box and gets tight.
    His young wife must agree,
    For she’ll nod solemnly,
    And say into her eggnog, “Damn rite.”

  76. Lisi Nortman says:

    Having root canals! What a delight!
    Mosquitos do not really bite!
    Donald Trump never lied.
    The Grand Canyon’s not wide.
    And Bill Gates caused this virus, yeah right.

  77. Tim James says:

    With apologies to Edward Bulwer-Lytton…

    It happened one dark, stormy night…
    Gosh, that line is so hackneyed and trite.
    When text really blows
    It’s called “purple prose.”
    Purple verse, though, is all I can write.

  78. Lisi Nortman says:

    “A Genius Does An Amazing Calculation”

    From O’Hare, I am taking a flight,
    And moving to Britain tonight.
    Cuz I just figured out
    That without any doubt:
    Over there you can pass on the right.

  79. The Lefties were vilified sight.
    Thought sinister people, a fright.
    Now left-handed prominence,
    Has right braining dominance.
    So Lefties have minds, that are right.

  80. Terry Marter says:

    (Erwin) Schrödinger with a touch of Einstein?
    (A hypothetical hypothetical!)

    I’ve been thinking ‘bout Schrödinger‘s Cat.
    All (E) found in the box was a Hat!
    Now there’s Some dude named Seuss
    shooting dogs, on the loose
    and with NFI where his cat’s At!

  81. Lisi Nortman says:

    Small Towns

    You’re driving, and so full of fright.
    A man tries to help you that night.
    “City Boy, do not wander.
    Go 9 miles up yonder.
    At “Hoop And A Holler”, hook right.”

  82. Lisi Nortman says:

    Round and round I go ev-er-ry night.
    I keep seeing the very same sight.
    Although I am striving,
    I’m still not good at driving.
    All I know how to do is turn right.

  83. Rudy Landesman says:

    The calendar did indicate
    Her regular period was late.
    Yes, something’s not right.
    She’s at home every night,
    And for years she has not had a date.

  84. Dad and I southpaws, our plight.
    Gathering family tonight.
    We’ll sensibly sit,
    Or the elbows hit.
    Left of the righties on right.

  85. Bob Turvey says:

    My two year old is very bright.
    At a synonym contest last night,
    He said that ‘CUNCTATION’
    Is ‘PROCRASTINATION’.
    And the MC said: “Crikey! He’s right !”

  86. Bob Turvey says:

    If you suffer from cramps in the night
    A banana will soon put you right.
    “I’ve tried it,” said Jane,
    Many times – but in vain.”
    Said her friend, “If you eat it, it might.”

  87. Dave Johnson says:

    We’re getting our boosters today;
    So omicron won’t have a say
    In what we can do.
    We’ll begin twenty-too
    By holding that monster at bay.

  88. All gather for dinner tonight.
    My Dad and I southpaws, our plight
    So, orchestrate seating,
    Or elbows competing.
    We’re left of the righties, that’s right.

  89. Roger Haugen says:

    A new era was born at the site
    Of mankind’s first motorized flight;
    Ahead of all others,
    These two small-town brothers
    Showed the world what it meant to be (W)right.

  90. Lisi Nortman says:

    Are You in YOUR RIGHT MIND?

    Are you in the mind that is right?
    If so, then you must see the light.
    But if you’re in the spare,
    Jump right out of there.
    With the right, you can then reunite.

  91. This year, for my lunch, and my dinner.
    I’m working at getting much thinner.
    Will slow down the fork,
    With spaghetti I torque.
    A shot as a weight losing spinner.

  92. Lisi Nortman says:

    “It’s Alright With Me” written by Cole Porter, sung by Frank Sinatra

    If you feel a warm sense of delight,
    The wrong place may just be the right.
    If you want to forget
    Someone else who you met,
    It might be a heaven-sent night.

  93. Lisi Nortman says:

    Got a job at “The Gastronome Bite”
    I’m starting a week from tonight.
    I must go to a forum
    To learn proper decorum,
    Called, “Learning To Serve Someone Right”

  94. Routinely will wake in the night.
    Rewriting a limerick right.
    A gift and a curse,
    To write a good verse.
    Returning to sleep is a fight.

    on a good night:
    Returning to sleep ’til it’s light.

  95. Lisi Nortman says:

    Mad Kane’s Humor Blog’s such a delight.
    I write many lim’riks each night.
    One night, set on fire,
    (With my burning desire)
    I sat there with one more to write.

  96. Lisi Nortman says:

    Mama made shoo-fly pie, such delight!
    Always mixed in real flies. Was that right?
    But gosh! It was yummy!
    A treat for the tummy!
    We all flew ’round the lights ev’ry night.

  97. Terry Marter says:

    Trump’s concise vision for the future.
    As per yellow sticker (still) on his fridge door.

    Elevate my great concept of power.
    Warp speed, up the ivory tower.
    Alight at top flight
    Take a step to the Right
    And gloat while my minions all cower.

  98. Terry Marter says:

    Half asleep; half awake, half the night:
    Half a Lim’rick that STILL don’t look right.
    Time to rise for a brew, –
    Slice of toast, perhaps two.
    Add a bowl of Just Right? I just might!

  99. Roger Haugen says:

    The hag cast a spell in the night,
    And knocked herself out like a light;
    Sniffed one other witch,
    “That silly old bitch–
    ‘Once again, she picked the wrong rite.”

  100. Roger Haugen says:

    Oozed the supercilious knight,
    “For you, my sweet pussy, I’ll fight;”
    She gagged, “You’re so crass,
    ‘A complete horse’s ass–
    ‘Get lost, and don’t bother to write.”

  101. Terry Marter says:

    Researched Golf from a dodgy resource.
    My apology; full of remorse.
    To put my ‘wrong’ right;
    The recourse to my plight?
    Be contrite: it’s just par for the course.

  102. Steve Benko says:

    A double duty one:

    “For AR-15s I’ve the hots;
    In Wisconsin I’ll fire some shots,”
    Said Kyle. “My right
    To shoot people tonight
    Will on Fox get me great TV spots.”

  103. Steve Benko says:

    More double duty:

    Jewish boys of eight days face a rite
    That makes men in the room all take fright.
    Though they’ve drunk a few shots,
    When the knife falls, they plotz,
    Asking, “Why must our willies we smite?”

  104. Tim James says:

    Covid disinformation — there’s lots —
    Has the red states all tied up in knots.
    I don’t wish to be crude,
    But those places are screwed
    With covidiots calling the shots.

  105. Tony Holmes says:

    “If he’s three hundred pounds and six eight
    And you aren’t, then your chances aren’t great.
    Best agree that he’s right –
    On his side he has might.
    At least, that’s how he sees it.” “Damn straight!”

  106. Clay Wild says:

    Words of rhyming and timing to write
    Love of Lim’ricks, of passage a rite
    Play on words, set the stage
    Since un-scene there’s no wage
    There’s no buyer’s remorse – price is right!

  107. Clay Wild says:

    My debate arguments were air tight
    But my wife’s counter-points gave insight…
    In my head, I confess
    (Although under duress…)
    I just had to admit she was right!

  108. Clay Wild says:

    In pursuit of a year that’s brand new
    May you chase hopes and dreams that come true
    With good living your quarry
    Apprehend a good story
    When you finally Catch ‘22!

  109. Lisi Nortman says:

    Though I know that I’m bright and can write,
    I’m not feeling creative tonight.
    But wait! Now it’s coming!
    I just hear passion drumming!
    “Swiss cheese, butter, milk, and some Sprite.”

  110. Lisi Nortman says:

    Can’t make babies, my sperm count’s too slight.
    But why? Something just isn’t right!
    Couldn’t solve this dilemma,
    Till nosy Aunt Emma
    Implied that my briefs are too tight.

  111. Terry Marter says:

    It’s wrong! – Right?

    Good to hear our Mad’s views on ‘near-rhyme’
    Plus debating each takes too much time.
    No point in a fight
    It’s wrong or it’s right
    And right Here is where Mad draws the line!

    *************
    From Mad:
    For those who don’t know what Terry’s referring to, here’s my limerick about “Slant Rhyme.”

  112. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    Perfect Rhyme is an effort immersive,
    But a problem when writing in cursive,
    When my longhand just might,
    Dip and slant to the right,
    And I lean to (don’t mean to) subversive.

    Also inspired by Mad’s “slant” on things (and hoping that “mersive” and “ersive” and “versive” are in bounds).

    **********
    From Mad:

    They’re most definitely in bounds. (I’m not sure why you’d think I’d object to them. The last stressed syllables rhyme: mer, er and ver. And the unstressed syllable that follows mer, er and ver is in each case the identical sive. So there’s no basis at all to challenge that rhyme.)

  113. Lisi Nortman says:

    The Key To Writing A Best- Selling Novel

    If you want to pen something that’s hip,
    Which will sure make your readers just flip.
    The novel you write
    Will be such a delight
    If you leave out the parts people skip.

  114. Lisi Nortman says:

    Haifa: 3rd. largest city in Israel

    I write books about “Coming of Age”
    In Haifa, they sure are the rage.
    Everyone that I write
    Is critiqued, “A Delight
    When One Starts From The Very Last Page.”

  115. Lisi Nortman says:

    Is This Better?

    Haifa: third largest city in Israel

    I write books about “Coming of Age”
    In Haifa, they sure are the rage!
    Everyone that I write
    Is critiqued, “A Delight,
    Cause It Starts At The Very Last Page.”

  116. Roger Haugen says:

    A lovesick young man had the hots
    For a chick in her sexy coulottes;
    She told him to split
    But he couldn’t quit,
    With a heart that was tied up in knots.

  117. KIRK MILLER says:

    At the funeral, minister Dwight
    Was real nervous and feeling uptight.
    ‘Twas the first one where he
    Had to speak, so you see
    He worked hard so he’d write the right rite.

  118. KIRK MILLER says:

    In the tavern I go to are lots
    Of abusers of liquor; they’re sots.
    And just who’s in control?
    It may seem rather droll
    That the patrons are calling the shots.

  119. Steve Benko says:

    Thought Shakespeare one midsummer night,
    “What sort of a play shall I write?
    Perhaps one in which Puck
    Drugs young lovers to…muck
    All about in the woods. Oh, yes. Quite!”

  120. Steve Benko says:

    When on pot you’re as high as a kite,
    It isn’t the best time to write.
    You think you’re inspired,
    But Mad says, “You’re fired!
    Your work on my page is a blight!”

  121. Babe Ruth with the Boston Red Sox.*
    Or Gates with gazillions of stocks.
    And Einstein so bright,
    Mathematically right.
    All Thinkers “outside of the box.”

    *Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees
    and Atlanta Braves.

  122. Lefties like Hendrix who rocks.
    Or Greta Garbo when she talks.
    There’s Twain when he writes,
    Da Vinci delights.
    All thinkers f the box.”

    All the the people in the previous limerick
    were lefties too.

  123. whoops. Line 5 All thinkers “out of the box.”

  124. whoops again Line 5 All thinkers “outside of the box.”

    Maybe due to being left-handed?

  125. Lisi Nortman says:

    I typed “monkey” till dawn’s early light.
    My experiment proved to be right.
    Can’t say it was fun,
    But when I was done,
    I turned into Shakespeare that night.

  126. Lisi Nortman says:

    One word change in L5 may explain this better.

    I typed “monkey” till dawn’s early light.
    My experiment proved to be right.
    Can’t say it was fun.
    But when I was done,
    I thought I was Shakespeare that night.

  127. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    When it’s my turn for shots, I’m aloof.
    For these scruples, I’m labeled a goof.
    But I will not be plied,
    Or just swallow my pride,
    Till I’m sure the stuff’s one hundred proof.

  128. Lisi Nortman says:

    When going to sleep, if it’s hot,
    My “hubby” does not wear a lot
    Of sleepwear in bed.
    (Even kicks off the spread)
    And his nightcap is then a cool shot.

  129. Fred Bortz says:

    They recited a blessing each night,
    With incense and wine to delight.
    But their spells were more Dickens
    Than Druid’s or Wiccan’s.
    Slim pickins. The rite wasn’t right.

  130. Fred Bortz says:

    It’s too bad that the guy had to die
    From drinking too much of that rye.
    Alas, what a shame,
    But the rules of the game
    Were a shot for each Trumpian lie.

  131. David W. Hodges says:

    In German “mein Schatz” means “my treasure” –
    a sweetheart beyond any measure.
    But an American miss
    may take umbrage at this;
    being called “Shots” will bring her no pleasure!

  132. Brian Allgar says:

    Anti-vaxxers refusing a shot
    Claim “There’s micro-chips in it!” So what?
    You shouldn’t complain –
    An electronic brain
    Would be more than you’ve actually got.

  133. Mark Totterdell says:

    This limerick started all right,
    Both the rhyming and meter were tight,
    It continued just fine,
    But began to decline,
    And the last line went unbelievably, terribly, awfully wrong.

  134. Brian Allgar says:

    Those criminals on the Far Right
    Are passing new laws day and night.
    “Screw Democrat voters!
    We’ll choose our own Potus!”
    Democracy’s death is in sight.

  135. Mark Totterdell says:

    Tweaked version;

    This limerick started all right,
    Both the rhyming and meter were tight.
    It continued just fine
    To the very last line,
    And then went unbelievably, terribly, awfully wrong.

  136. Terry Marter says:

    Infiltrating the spys and their plots,-
    ‘got the hots for those foreign hot shots.
    Molly mastered their tongue, –
    found that most were well hung;
    Polyamorous, perverse Polyglots.

  137. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    An obstructionist ended the night,
    When he got the last word in a fight.
    “I’m agreeing,” said he,
    To say we disagree.
    But that won’t make me any less right.”

  138. Lisi Nortman says:

    “The Left-Handed Unemployed Beautician”

    Sure had a loose grip on those clippers.
    Got fired from “World’s Greatest Snippers”
    I could not cut it right,
    Cause my left had the might.
    My boss said, “Ain’t no left-hand shippers.”

  139. Roger Haugen says:

    She had little money for fashion,
    Forcing her to save and then ration;
    Her financial low spots
    Decreed “polka dots,”
    A style that was never her passion.

  140. Roger Haugen says:

    A lovesick young man had the hots
    For a chick in her sexy coulottes;
    She told him to split,
    But he couldn’t quit,
    With a heart that was tied up in knots.

  141. Roger Haugen says:

    He gave us, in dozens of plots,
    Not just a few laughs, but lots;
    His on-camera life
    Of TV’s Barney Fife,
    Was really a gift from Don Knotts.

  142. Bob Turvey says:

    There’s a famous phrase – “God and my right”.
    Kings think it confers legal might.
    And in French I know that
    It is “Dew ate mon drat”.
    [Which is true – tho’ my accent is shight.]

  143. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    In a dream, I once conjured a stark rite,
    Which included a knife and an arkwright.
    He was carving a chest,
    Simply keeping abreast
    Of his craft. Still, this dream’s pretty dark, right?

  144. Lisi Nortman says:

    I was musing on something last night.
    Though dark, I could still see the light.
    If you do something wrong,
    Can just string along,
    Knowing wrong is still wrong, am I right?

  145. Lisi Nortman says:

    Oops! I missed a word: “you”

    I was musing on something last night.
    Though dark, I could still see the light.
    If you do something wrong,
    Can you just string along?
    Knowing wrong is still wrong. Am I right?

  146. Lisi Nortman says:

    Mr. and Mrs. Mr. tells his side:

    Sue, why is there always a fight?
    The same discourse takes place each night!
    I never am wrong!
    Now follow along:
    I’m just different levels of RIGHT.

  147. Lisi Nortman says:

    Well, ya see Boss:

    I gave him the wrong change last night.
    And then out of nowhere: a fight!
    He sprayed me with mace,
    Then stepped on my face.
    Is the customer still always right?

  148. Enrolled, but of course, I’m a fake.
    Astrophysics is hard, it’s opaque.
    But students were right,
    This professor so bright.
    I love intellectual beefcake.

  149. Rudy Landesman says:

    My God! You are going to pot.
    Your belly is huge. Don’t say: “Not”.
    And you can not disguise
    Your dim blood-shot eyes.
    And where is your hair, sir? Say what?

  150. Rudy Landesman says:

    One night, it was quite on a lark,
    He was cruising in dark Central Park.
    And you can be sure
    That he found true amour.
    That was truly a shot in the dark.

  151. Rudy Landesman says:

    Hey Mad,

    Steve Sondheim did once rhyme “liaisons”
    With the only near-rhyming word “raisins”.
    But who’d say: “You can’t
    Use a rhyme that’s aslant
    In your shows or on other occasions.”?

    (As I did here.)
    The show was “A Little Night Music”

    *********
    From Mad:

    Song writers can get away with a lot more than limerick writers can, especially FAMOUS song writers.

  152. Lisi Nortman says:

    GPS: What would we do without it?

    Poor Bill’s being buried tonight.
    Let’s rush to the car and find “Hite”
    (His wife’s so bereft)
    Oh Honey! Turn left!
    Go straight, and then take the last rite.

  153. Steve Benko says:

    Doctor Fauci says, “Go get your shots,”
    But some dummies believe them ersatz.
    Between their poor ears
    Such irrational fears
    Give them trouble connecting the dots.

  154. Steve Benko says:

    To Rudy Landesman, outside of the current prompts:

    With “liaison” and “raisin” in song,
    The music takes listeners along.
    But in limerick verse,
    Might as well call a hearse;
    Inconsistent vowel sounds just sound wrong.

  155. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    Though I’m clear it’s a shot in the dark,
    I still bed dear old Fred for a lark.
    Once I’m sure there’s a bulge,
    I cry, “Time to indulge!”
    Then he pours me a neat Cutty Sark.

  156. Lisi Nortman says:

    I saw Bill at “The Northeastern Brook”
    He then gave me a violent right hook.
    Bill knows that I write.
    We will soon reunite:
    He’ll be whacked in my very next book.

  157. Lisi Nortman says:

    From sunrise to sunset, I write.
    My artistry’s reached a new height.
    Strangely, people are home.
    They no longer roam.
    I don’t get why they call it a “plight”

  158. Lisi Nortman says:

    “Which Opinion Shall We Watch Tonight?”

    Many shows have quite differing views.
    People always know which they will choose.
    Whether left wing or right,
    Both factions excite.
    I’m so old, I remember “The News”

  159. Terry Marter says:

    They partied one night, – got the hots.
    He fired up in bed, – had two shots!
    Jump nine months and a bit, –
    “Here’s a writ, – you big shit,
    You done left me, alone with two tots”.

  160. DAVID LOWMAN says:

    Seems some folks are afraid to talk
    The very idea tends to nake them balk.
    So out of sheer fright
    they will only write.
    And at the first sound they will walk.

  161. Ken Gosse says:

    Family Fueds – A Lieography (or Pardon My Hubris) ~
    (This story may be based on actual events. To protect the innocent, the words, but not the names, have been changed.)
    When Mark read what Mad said, he said “Right,
    but I’d much rather have peace tonight.
    She’ll write what she will—
    it’s a rite I can’t kill—
    so I’ll shut up and give up this fight.”

  162. Steve Dufour says:

    You take up your pen and start to write.
    Well, you certainly have that right.
    But if it’s of wrong
    Don’t sing that song!
    Or politics, nothing far left or right.

  163. Lisi Nortman says:

    Religion can make people calm.
    We feel peace when reciting a psalm.
    Though we know it is right,
    There’s a verse called “Delight”
    Which means Blasphemy Night Of The Prom.

  164. Terry Marter says:

    The right to bear arms? In hindsight, –
    a wrong rite that’s enabled such plight.
    Don’t need shots for a fight
    The pen wields the might.
    Drop your gun, – grab a pen, – learn to write.

  165. Lisi Nortman says:

    What Our Country Is All About. Yeah!

    Making coffee is sure not bewitch’in.
    But now I’ll no longer be bitch’in.
    Shall I make dark or light?
    Are 4 scoops just right?
    A Starbucks is now in my kitchen!

  166. Lisi Nortman says:

    There’s a Starbucks alongside that light.
    And another one also in sight.
    The world is at rest.
    Not a soul is depressed.
    Frappuccino has made the world right.

    (Here in Chicago there are 2 of them in the SAME building)

  167. Lisi Nortman says:

    Two Changes From “Starbucks” Limerick: Line5 (set and Earth)

    There’s a Starbucks alongside that light.
    And another one also in sight.
    The world is at rest.
    Not one soul is depressed.
    Frappuccino has set the Earth right.

  168. Mark Totterdell says:

    Novak Djokovic, agile and tall,
    Plays great shots with a racket and ball,
    But there’s one kind of shot
    That he still hasn’t got,
    Because Novak’s had no vax at all.

  169. Doug Harris says:

    He did not really reach any heights
    And got into too many fights
    With publishers, editors
    (And other such predators)
    And now they’ve all read the last writes …

  170. Doug Harris says:

    Anti-vaxers – convinced of those plots
    To inject us with digital dots –
    Euthanasia pills
    To pay Government bills.
    And they think they are calling the shots!

  171. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    Adroit?

    “Lefty loosey”? (the seal is too strong);
    “Righty tighty”? (it’s taking too long!);
    Now I’m left twisting right —
    They have jarred me for spite!
    (I’ll get right with this, don’t get me wrong).

  172. Lisi Nortman says:

    The Donald Speaks: 1990 Atlantic City

    I must say, “I was really in shock,
    When I noticed a very big lock.
    With all of my might,
    Guess I just wasn’t right.
    But why am I banned from “Hard Rock?”

  173. Lisi Nortman says:

    I’ll miss them; they surely are nice.
    A small strip of ice won’t suffice.
    Are the Polar Bears right?
    When they say they sense fright?
    Seems they’re skating on very thin ice.

  174. Lisi Nortman says:

    My new boyfriend is simply divine.
    He’s handsome, and sexy and fine.
    For me, he’s just right.
    He sure does excite.
    And his name is I Love You Online.

  175. madkane says:

    Attention all Limerick-Off Stragglers: The current Limerick-Off ends tomorrow, Saturday, at 4 pm (Eastern time.) So please get your limerick stragglers in.

  176. Lisi Nortman says:

    It’s easy as easy can be.
    A great strategy; listen to me:
    2 wrongs don’t make right.
    But wrong’s a delight.
    So remember to always do 3.

  177. Lisi Nortman says:

    Memory from my actual job at H.P. Pediatrics

    Some mem’ries I just can’t erase.
    Kinda fuuny, but always the case:
    While those cute little tots
    Were getting their shots,
    They made that “You’re Killing Me” face.

  178. Lisi Nortman says:

    The last time I went to my shrink,
    He said, “Gertrude, you need to rethink!
    “You MUST get that shot”
    But then I did not,
    When I found out it wasn’t a drink.

  179. Terry Marter says:

    Mad, please delete Jan 7th, 9.53am. Thanks.

    Soon the former guy’s mind, – Somewhat bent,
    Will be using TRUTH Social to vent
    Shots of rhetoric bold.
    Stilll out in the Cold:
    The whimper of our discontent.

  180. She mixes up left from her right.
    Discovered that fact just tonight.
    Because of that glitch,
    I found her in ditch.
    GPS and my friend had a fight.

  181. Lisi Nortman says:

    The Covid Shot For People Who Refuse To Get One

    A new shot’s come out, (it’s a trick)
    For people as dumb as a brick.
    It’s the one we all need.
    And the experts agreed
    Let’s call it “We’ll Never Get Sick.”

  182. Steve Benko says:

    “At Biden I’ll keep taking shots,
    For losing to him really rots,”
    Said Donald. “No riot
    Occurred – I don’t buy it.”
    Methinks that his brain’s full of clots.

  183. Tony Holmes says:

    “I depend on my muse to indite.
    If she doesn’t play ball, it’s dark night.
    Once, she wouldn’t play nice,
    So, I tried sacrifice.
    Now she wants it each time – it’s her rite.”

  184. Tony Holmes says:

    If you’ve might on your side, you are right,
    And you can, with impunity, smite.
    You are calling the shots.
    You can crush the have-nots,
    But you dare not sleep tight every night.

  185. Steve Benko says:

    Said Madeleine, “Steve, what you write
    Keeps me laughing all day and all night.
    Every week you should win,
    But I drink too much gin,
    And when judging, I’m high as a kite.”

  186. Sjaan VandenBroeder says:

    Elmer Fudd sang in Shanghai one night —
    Karaoked (his last civil right).
    Took one shot at a song
    with “If wuvving you’s wong,
    Then (it’s twue) I don’t want to be wight.”

  187. madkane says:

    Thanks so much everyone for another fun two weeks of limericks. This Limerick-Off is officially over. And the winner is…

    Limerick-Off Award 486 . Congratulations to the winners!

    But you can still have lots of limerick fun because a new Limerick-Off has just begun: Limerick-Off Bold.