I prefer not to grumble or whine,
But alas, I can’t seem to refine
The end of this verse.
And to make matters worse,
My muse’s behavior’s malign.
Posts Tagged ‘Creativity’
Writer’s Lament (Limerick)
Monday, July 25th, 2022Musing About My Muse (3-Verse Limerick)
Thursday, June 16th, 2022I’ve been trying to write, but in vain;
My muse has escaped from my brain.
It started last night
With a rip-roaring fight,
When I called something “trite and inane.”
“You should give me more credit!” she said.
“I work hard while you’re sleeping in bed.”
I called my muse “greedy,”
“Ill-humored,” and “needy.”
She said, “You’ll be sorry,” then fled.
She was right, for she’s great with a wry line,
And fine at supplying a sly line.
So I’m begging: Come back!
I’ll be nice. No more flak!
But dear muse, you’re not getting a byline!
Why I Write Limericks (Limerick)
Saturday, October 9th, 2021Writing lim’ricks meets some of my needs:
To create, vent my spleen, avoid screeds.
Written wordplay’s a ball!
And the best part of all?
It doesn’t entail making reeds.
Open Limerick to Super Bowl Fans
Sunday, February 7th, 2016If the game goes from boring to worse,
Don’t bother to sob or to curse.
Sublimation works well.
Be creative as hell:
Snap some photos, sketch, paint, or write verse.
PS: My latest Limerick-Off challenge has just begun. You can find it here.
A Glimmer Of A Limerick
Tuesday, March 10th, 2015A Glimmer Of A Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
I’ve a limerick notion — a glimmer.
It’s shimmering. Damn! Now it’s dimmer.
My brain’s covered with frost,
And my rhyme primer’s lost.
My slim odds of success have grown grimmer.
Limerick Rite (Limerick-Off Monday)
Saturday, June 7th, 2014It’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 next Sunday, right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time.)
I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A fellow was trying to write…*
or
A woman, convinced she was right…*
or
We’re lost. You were s’posed to turn right…*
or
A man who believed might makes right…*
or
A gal was engaged in a rite…*
*(Please note that minor variations to my first lines are acceptable. However, rhyme words may not be altered, except by using homonyms or homophones.)
Here’s my limerick:
Limerick Rite
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A woman was trying to write,
But her right and left brains had a fight.
So her muse, unamused,
Feeling slighted, abused
And benighted took flight, just for spite.
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!
Not A-Mused (Limerick)
Wednesday, October 9th, 2013Not A-Mused (3-Verse Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Inspiration is gone — I’m bereft,
For I fear my dear muse has just left.
And my brain’s auto-rhymer
Is spent — the old-timer
Says, “Write something rhyme-free with heft.”
A serious verse that’s rhyme-free?
I’m sorry — that just isn’t me.
I don’t layer my verse
Or deep meaning disperse.
I’d rather spread light-hearted glee.
If you’re waiting for metaphor, stop.
And a simile simply won’t pop.
My verse just won’t hatch
Without rhyme — that’s the catch:
An unfertilized limerick crop.
In Praise Of Frustration (Limerick)
Monday, May 13th, 2013In Praise Of Frustration (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My muse is unleashed by frustration
And foiled by excessive elation.
When I’m irked or irate
I’m more prone to create,
While repose sends my muse on vacation.
(DVerse Poets wants to know what inspires our writing.)
Hairy Art (Limerick)
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013Hairy Art
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Though some artists make art out of rubble,
Only one went to hairier trouble:
He sculpted (I swear)
His sculpture from hair:
An artwork from one speck of stubble.
Its minuteness is way off the chart.
Want to view it? A microscope’s smart.
I don’t mean to be gruff,
But is weirdness enough?
This speck-sculpture’s too fine to be art.
*****
You can read about and see a photo of Willard Wigan’s stubble sculpture here. As the article explains:
Willard Wigan hollowed out a spec of face hair and used a miniscule flake of gold to create the tiny motorbike artwork.
Visible only through a microscope, the chopper — which measures three microns — is smaller than a human blood cell.
Mucked Up Music (Limerick)
Monday, October 15th, 2012I swear that this limerick is based on an actual news item: Artist makes music with bird droppings in Liverpool.
Mucked Up Music (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Just what is a person to do
When creative ideas are few?
If your muse flew the coop,
Here’s an int’resting scoop:
Compose music by using bird poo.
Limerick Ode To Claude Monet
Thursday, August 9th, 2012Limerick Ode To Claude Monet
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A man with poor vision, Monet,
Had eyesight so weak, the display
Of the world that he saw
Was blurrily raw.
And that’s why he’s famous today.
(Inspired by DVersePoets’ request for impressionistic poetry.)
I’d hoped to write something that was actually impressionistic, but as you can see from this haiku, I was stymied:
Writing assignment–
dash off impressionism–
no clue how to start.
Update: I’ve just learned that Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840. So happy birthday Claude Monet!
Poetic Fantasy (Limerick)
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012Today’s prompt over at dVerse is “work.” Here’s what I came up with:
Poetic Fantasy (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Just imagine a job that would pay
Us to sit and write poems all day:
If that’s all that we did
For our buck or our quid,
Would we have something worthy to say?
The Onset of an Acrostic Limerick
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012The Onset of an Acrostic Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Oh my, don’t know where to begin —
Not a hint of a concept herein.
So where shall I start?
Eke out rhyme from my heart?
The trick is just write — in like Flynn.
(Inspired by onset over at Acrostic Only.)
You can find more of my acrostic limericks here.
Sleepless Limerick
Thursday, May 10th, 2012At 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.”
Yet Another Limerick Ode To My Husband Mark Kane
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012Yet Another Limerick Ode To My Husband Mark Kane
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Oh, what have I done to my Mark:
Taught him limerick writing, and hark!
Now he’ll draft something new,
Then lug laptop to loo —
I can’t hide from his poetry arc.
(Note from Mad Kane: I’m really not making this up. On Sunday, Mark followed me into the bathroom, carrying his laptop. That’s how eager he was to show me his latest limerick.)
A Poet’s Nightmare (Limerick)
Saturday, March 31st, 2012DVerse 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.”
My Elemental Muse (Limerick)
Saturday, February 25th, 2012Blocked Limerick
Thursday, October 27th, 2011Thursday Think Tank invites us to write a poem about writer’s block. I was almost too blocked to write this limerick:
Blocked Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A gal was attempting to write
Something clever and witty, with bite.
But alas her poor muse
Went on strike — too much booze.
What a plight: All her verses are trite!
