Archive for the ‘Sleep & Insomnia Humor’ Category
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.
The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner.)
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 Limerick of the Week Winner right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow was very obsessed…*
or
A woman was very obsessed…*
*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)
Here’s my limerick:
Obsessive Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A fellow was very obsessed
With getting enough nightly rest.
His reason makes sense:
Lack of sleep made him tense
Which, alas, left him sexually hard-pressed.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it 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!
Tags: Bawdy Humor, Limerick Contest, Obsession Verse, Poetry & Prompts, Relaxation Humor, Sex Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Writing Prompts
Posted in Bawdy Limericks, Behavior & Personality, Contests, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick Contest, Limerick Writing Contest, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Poetry & Prompts, Poetry Contest, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 60 Comments »
Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Embedded In Sleeplessness (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Insomnia blankets my night.
Slumber teases — declines to alight.
I toss and I turn
In my bed, as I yearn
For release from my sleep-deprived plight.
(Prompted by Theme Thursday’s “beds.”)
Tags: Bed Poem, Beds Limerick, Insomnia Humor, Insomnia Verse, Sleep Poetry, Theme Thursday, Writing Prompts
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Behavior & Personality, Furniture & Furnishings, Health & Medical Humor, Health Verse, Limericks, Mental Health Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 7 Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
DVerse Poets asks us to wax poetic about machine dreams:
Limerick Invention
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A fellow invented an app
That fills a technology gap:
It gives you a pinch
If your boss starts to inch
Near your desk, while you’re taking a nap.
(You can find more of my technology humor here.)
UPDATE: February 28 is National Public Sleeping Day.
UPDATE 2: National Napping Day is the second Monday of March (the Monday after DST.)
Tags: Apps Limerick, Boss Humor, February Holidays, Inventions Poem, Napping Limerick, National Public Sleeping Day, Odd Holidays, Sleep Poetry, Technology Humor, Workplace Poetry
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Computer Humor, Inventions Humor, Limericks, Odd Holidays, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Technology Humor, Workplace & Career Humor | 11 Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
At Think Tank Thursday (Poets United), we’re asked to write a news-related poem. Now since my other blog, Mad Kane’s Political Madness, is devoted to mocking politicians and other news-makers via limericks, I thought I’d try a different news angle here:
Sleepless Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A woman was trying to snooze,
But was kept wide awake by her muse.
Stubborn rhymes kept invading
Her brain and upbraiding
Her: “Rise and go mock some more news.”
Tags: Brain Humor, Creativity, Inspiration, Muse, News Limerick, Rhyming Obsession, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Sleeplessness
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Creativity Verse, Limericks, Obsessions Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 4 Comments »
Saturday, March 31st, 2012
DVerse prompts us to write about nightmares. Here’s my response:
A Poet’s Nightmare (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A gal had a frightening dream.
It featured her muse — made her scream:
Said her muse, “You must write
About terror tonight
And forever, cuz nightmare’s your theme.”
Tags: Creativity, Dreams Limerick, DVerse, Inspiration, Muse, Nightmare Humor, Sleep Poetry, Writers, Writing & Publishing Humor
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Creativity Verse, Limericks, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Writing & Publishing Humor | 11 Comments »
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Sleep-Deprived Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
An inventor was trying to nap,
But snoozing just wasn’t on tap.
His constant fixation
With tech innovation
Required a sleep-prompting app.
(Author’s Note: I’m not an inventor, but I’m a life-long insomniac who could use such an application.)
Tags: Application, Aps Humor, Computer Verse, Insomnia Humor, Insomnia Verse, Inventions Poem, Sleep Poetry, Technology Humor, Technology Limerick
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Behavior & Personality, Computer Humor, Limericks, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Technology Humor | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
I lie in my bed,
coaxing my brain to adapt
and glide into sleep.
*****
Insomnia strikes
when I’m at my most weary—
tired irony.
*****
My lullaby verse—
I knew I should write it down—
now it’s lost to sleep.
*****
My thoughts skip around
like out-of-control children—
scaring sleep away.
*****
You can read my How To Become An Insomniac (Humorous How-To) here.
(My first haiku was inspired by Three Word Wednesday’s “adapt, glide, lie” prompt. My second haiku was inspired by Sensational Haiku Wednesday’s “weary” prompt.
Update: Happy Festival Of Sleep Day!
View my insomnia haiku image here.
Tags: Festival of Sleep Day, Haiku & Senryu, Haiku Images, Insomnia Verse, January Holidays, Odd Holidays, Sleep Poetry, Writing & Publishing Humor
Posted in Haiku & Senryu, Health & Medical Humor, Health Verse, Odd Holidays, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Writing & Publishing Humor | 24 Comments »
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
As I’ve mentioned before, I enjoy the challenge of writing acrostic limericks. But I found the latest acrostic limerick prompt from Acrostic Only to be tougher than usual. Here’s what I came up with:
One Headache of an Acrostic Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Pleasant dreams are quite hard to secure
On nights when you have to endure
Unspeakable noise:
Next door neighbors with boys,
Deaf’ning dogs, and the parents on tour.
Tags: Acrostic Poems, Animals Poetry, Badly Behaved Children, Child Humor, Dogs Verse, Headaches Humor, Insomnia Verse, Noise Humor, Noisy Neighbors, Pets Verse, Sleep Poetry
Posted in Acrostic Limericks, Animal & Pet Humor, Anxiety & Stress, Behavior & Personality, Children Humor, House & Home Humor, Limericks, Neighbors Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 25 Comments »
Monday, May 16th, 2011
Sheet Musing
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Both my legs travel down the fresh sheet.
It feels cool to the touch, tight, and neat.
Now fully stretched out
They relax and then … doubt.
A rough tear has assaulted my feet.
(Inspired by this prompt to write about texture and an over-priced, lousy sheet.)
Tags: Bed Poem, Feet Humor, Legs Humor, Linens Poetry, Sheet Verse, Texture Humor
Posted in Furniture & Furnishings, House & Home Humor, Limericks, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 5 Comments »
Friday, April 8th, 2011
After my first fun foray into acrostic limericks, I just had to try another:
Itching For Another Acrostic Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Bemoaning her red, itchy bites,
Undone by her sleep-deprived nights,
Gabrielle said, “No more!
Going out to the store.
You mosquitoes have earned your last rites.”
(More bug related poems here.)
Update: A case of insect revenge? Right after posting this, I noticed that my left foot was itchy and discovered my first mosquito bite of the season.
Update: August 20 is World Mosquito Day.
Tags: Acrostic Poems, August Holidays, Bug Limerick, Insect and Bug Humor, Insect Bites, Odd Holidays, World Mosquito Day
Posted in Acrostic Limericks, Health & Medical Humor, Insect Humor, Light Verse, Limericks, Odd Holidays, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 13 Comments »
Saturday, March 12th, 2011
Limerick Ode To Daylight Saving Time
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Our clocks all need changing tonight.
Daylight Saving Time — oh what a blight!
We may think it a crock,
But must alter each clock
Till the powers that be see the light.
(More DST humor here.)
Tags: Clocks Limerick, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, DST, DST Humor, Holiday Poetry, March Holidays, Odd Holidays, SpringForward, SpringForwardDay, Standard Time, Time Humor, Time Verse
Posted in Celebrations Poetry, Holiday Humor, Odd Holidays, Seasons Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Time Humor | 8 Comments »
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
Once again, it’s Limerick-Off time. I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A jittery fellow named Fred…
Here’s mine. (It’s a three-verse limerick, but a standard one-verse limerick is fine, of course.)
Jittery Limerick (Jittery Limerick Audio)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A jittery fellow named Fred
Had problems with sleeping in bed.
He could sleep on a chair
Or a stool — anywhere
But in bed, where things came to a head.
He was haunted in bed by his fears,
Whether sober or after some beers.
He would worry and fret—
Could not snooze on a bet.
And that’s how he lived for ten years.
But then podcasts came into his life.
(He’d heard about them from his wife.)
The discussions and talk
Made sad thoughts take a walk.
Now he slumbers in bed without strife.
Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity in my Facebook Limerick-Off post.
To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please send me an email requesting the alerts. You’ll find my email address on the upper right sidebar, right above my photo. Thanks!
Tags: Anxiety Humor, Insomnia Humor, Mental Health, Podcasts, Poetry & Prompts, Sleep Poetry, Stress Humor, Writing Prompts
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Behavior & Personality, Health & Medical Humor, Health Verse, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limerick-Offs, Limericks, Mental Health Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 12 Comments »
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
Are you as sick as I am of our twice-yearly clock-adjustment ritual? Do you think, as I do, that we have more than enough daylight and that there’s no need to save any?
I’m sorry, but my internal clock is sufficiently confused and doesn’t need Daylight Savings Time to make my chronic insomnia even worse. And I’m inclined to clock the next person who reminds me to change my damn clocks.
Save Me From Daylight Savings Time (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My natural clock is a mess.
Just thinking of sleep gives me stress.
Spring forward—fall back
Makes me more out of whack.
So I don’t change my clocks — I just guess.
(More DST humor here.)
Tags: Clocks Limerick, Daylight Savings Time, DST Humor, Holiday Poetry, Insomnia Humor, March Holidays, Standard Time, Time Humor, Time Verse
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Behavior & Personality, Celebrations Poetry, Health & Medical Humor, Health Verse, Holiday Humor, Limericks, Mental Health Humor, Seasons Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Time Humor | 4 Comments »
Friday, June 13th, 2008
Today’s limerick, haiku, and senryu theme is furniture and furnishings. First, my limerick:
Quick Story
By Madeleine Begun Kane
“Quick story,” my husband declares.
“It’s short — I’m not kidding,” he swears.
But I know that he’s wrong.
He’ll be witty, but long.
How I wish I could find us some chairs.
And now two haiku (senryu):
Dad climbs into bed.
His poodle growls in protest.
Their turf war begins.
Sixty-year-old chair,
still covered in plastic,
protected from life.
Now, of course, it’s your turn. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write some verse about furniture and furnishings. When you’ve posted your poem(s), please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry, using Mr. Linky. There’s no rush, by the way, because you have a whole week to post it.
(Note: My poems were inspired by these three prompts: “being told a story,” “pets,” and “father / find.”)
Limerick and Haiku Prompts Participants
UPDATE: Mr. Linky is now closed, but you can still add links to your furniture and furnishings verse in the Comments. And if you’d like to participate in a new poetry prompt, you can always find my latest one here.
UPDATE 2: World Storytelling Day falls on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.
Tags: Furnishings Humor, Furniture Verse, Husband Humor, March Holidays, Odd Holidays, Poodle Haiku, Short Story, Storytelling Day, Vernal Equinox, World Storytelling Day, Writing Prompts
Posted in Animal & Pet Humor, Battle of the Sexes, Family & Relatives Humor, House & Home Humor, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Limericks, Mothers & Fathers Humor, Odd Holidays, Poetry & Prompts, Relationship Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 14 Comments »
Friday, June 6th, 2008
Sorry for my late posting. As I mentioned in my last post, I recently broke my wrist.
Today’s limerick, haiku, and senryu theme is sleep and insomnia. First, my limerick:
Sleepless In Bayside
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My husband can catnap at will,
And my jealous reaction is shrill.
My insomnia’s bad —
Just can’t help getting mad,
Cuz his snores can be heard in Brazil.
And now my haiku or senryu:
I watch my husband
Sleep hour after hour.
What is his secret?
Now, of course, it’s your turn. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write some verse about sleep and insomnia. When you’ve posted your poem(s), please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry, using Mr. Linky. There’s no rush, by the way, because you have a whole week to post it.
(Note: My poems were inspired by these three prompts: “catnap, “my nights” and “when I watch you.”)
Limerick and Haiku Prompts Participants
UPDATE: Mr. Linky is now closed, but you can still add links to your sleep and insomnia verse in the Comments. And if you’d like to participate in a new poetry prompt, you can always find my latest one here.
Tags: Husband Humor, Insomnia Verse, Sleep Poetry, Writing Prompts
Posted in Battle of the Sexes, Family & Relatives Humor, Haiku & Senryu, Limerick & Haiku Prompts, Marriage Humor, Poetry & Prompts, Relationship Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 12 Comments »
Friday, April 18th, 2008
Ode To An Earthquake (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
It’s ’71. I awake
In LA to a 6.6 quake.
I feel nothing but terror
And curse out my error
In moving here. What a mistake!
Note: I graduated from Cal Arts in 1971. Great school, but I could definitely have done without that terrifying earthquake.
Tags: Cal Arts Limerick, California Institute Of The Arts, Earthquake Humor, LA Poetry, Los Angeles Poem, Natural Disasters
Posted in Anxiety & Stress, California Humor, Education & School Humor, History Humor, Limericks, Science Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 6 Comments »
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
I’m an insomniac and I must admit to taking a bit of solace at learning from a podcast that “zebrafish – a common aquarium pet – can have a genetic mutation linked to sleep problems.”
That calls for a limerick, don’t you think?
Fishing for Company
By Madeleine Begun Kane
I can’t sleep. I don’t know what to do.
Troubling thoughts seem to come, right on cue.
But my iPod distracts me
With news that attracts me:
“Sometimes fish get insomnia too.”
(You can find more of my pets and animals humor here and my health humor here.)
Tags: Animals, Fish Humor, Insomnia Humor, iPod, Scientific Research, Sleeplessness, Zebrafish Limerick
Posted in Animal & Pet Humor, Health & Medical Humor, Limericks, Science Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 4 Comments »
Friday, April 20th, 2007
Early in our marriage, my husband Mark worked as a computer programmer and was on over-night call:
Sleepless In Geekdom
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My husband’s a super-smart geek
Who’s on overnight call once a week.
And those questions they pose
After wrecking our doze
Sound, to me, much like Latin or Greek.
UPDATE: Happy International Programmers’ Day, January 7th!
And happy Geek Pride Day, May 25th!
Tags: Computer Satire, Geek Humor, Geek Pride Day, Husband Wife Humor, Insomnia Humor, International Programmers' Day, January Holidays, Marriage Satire, May Holidays, On Call, Sleeplessness, Technology Satire
Posted in Computer Humor, Limericks, Marriage Humor, Odd Holidays, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Technology Humor, Workplace & Career Humor | 4 Comments »
Monday, February 12th, 2007
Why I Rarely Go To Parties
By Madeleine Begun Kane
The minute I walked in the door,
I was trapped by a talkative bore.
Though he thought he was deep,
I was soon deep asleep.
They should bottle this guy. What a snore!
Tags: Boring People, Insomnia, Party Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor, Socializing Humor
Posted in Behavior & Personality, Communication Humor, Entertainment Humor, Leisure Time Humor, Limericks, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | Comments Off on Why I Rarely Go To Parties
Monday, November 13th, 2006
Becoming an insomniac isn’t as easy as it might appear. But with the help of these guidelines, dark circles and a cranky disposition will soon be yours.
1. Be born into a family of worriers. (Certain ethnic groups have the advantage here, but won’t be identified for obvious reasons.)
2. During your infancy, become accustomed to dozing in serene silence, a state you will never encounter as an adult.
3. Have parents so desperate for peace and quiet, that they routinely send you to bed hours before you feel even a hint of fatigue. This will allow you to develop helpful habits like gazing at the ceiling, counting sheep, and plotting revenge.
4. Cultivate your neuroses. A dedicated would-be insomniac will work on this throughout the day. But if time is limited, performing any of these activities right before bedtime should do the trick: … (How To Become An Insomniac is continued here.)
Tags: Funny Self-Help, Health Satire, Humorous How-To, Insomnia Humor
Posted in Health & Medical Humor, How-To Humor, Humor Columns & Humorous Essays, Mental Health Humor, Self-Help Humor, Sleep & Insomnia Humor | 10 Comments »
