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 ‘Inspiration’
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!
In Praise of the Grumble (Limerick)
Thursday, January 22nd, 2015In Praise of the Grumble (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
I pity the person who curbs me
From grumbling when something perturbs me.
I find grumbling essential
For humor potential;
How else would I know what disturbs me?
(Inspired by Joshua Rothman’s A Few Notes On Grumbling in The New Yorker.)
Haiku On The Attack (Limerick)
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014Haiku On The Attack (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Haiku’s been assaulting my mind,
Mocking lim’ricks, who’re feeling maligned:
“Haiku’s pithy, sublime.
“Lim’rick’s frivolous rhyme!”
Begged my muse to crack wise — she declined.
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.)
Inspirational? Moi??? (Limerick)
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013When I’m asked to write something inspirational, things tend to go badly:
Inspirational? Moi??? (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Inspirational verse ain’t my thing,
And when prompted to give it a fling,
I’m more likely to joke,
Or even provoke.
Wax heartfelt? I’d much rather zing.
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.
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.”
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, 2012Haunted By Haiku
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011Warning to those here for their daily dose of “funny.” Most of these aren’t. Sorry!
My passionate hunt
for humor in the mundane—
a chastening quest.
*****
Vulgar temptation
haunts, tantalizes, prevails—
beats dainty retreat.
*****
Passionate and raw
feelings too painful to root
escape on breached wings.
*****
Integrity fights
a war against temptation—
battles to a draw.
*****
A thought tempts, glimmers,
says “explore me,” then wings off—
never to return.
*****
Marching to the beat
of your own drum may work best
in solo parades.
*****
To those who ask me
how I remember my verse—
that’s what blogs are for.
*****
Thanks to these prompts for their inspiration: Carry On Tuesday, Haiku Heights, Haiku Wednesday, LoL Prompts, One Single Impression, Poetic Asides, Sunday Scribblings, and Three Word Wednesday.
Writerly Verse (Limerick-Off Monday)
Monday, February 21st, 2011Once again, it’s Limerick-Off time. 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.
So I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:
A woman was trying to write. …
or
A fellow was trying to write. …
Here’s mine. (It’s a three-verse limerick, but a standard one-verse limerick is fine, of course.)
Writerly Verse
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A woman was trying to write.
Ev’ry sentence and phrase was a fight.
She hated each line.
Too much whine. (Too much wine?)
And decided to call it a night.
She started again the next day.
But her muse seemed to be on delay.
So she showered and walked.
Inspiration still balked.
Though agnostic, she started to pray.
She returned to her screen with a curse.
Started typing for better or worse.
Tried to block her left brain,
Or her right, or the twain.
Then punched keys till at last she found verse.
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, in the “Author” section just below my Limerick-Offs button. Thanks!
Epiphany (Tanka)
Saturday, February 12th, 2011Epiphany (Tanka)
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My muse teases me,
Awaiting epiphanies
That never arrive.
So I must go it alone,
Writing until I’m amused.
(Note: Tanka is five line Japanese poetry which pre-dates haiku and whose syllabic form is 5-7-5-7-7. I usually think of it as haiku plus two more 7 syllable lines. My Epiphany Tanka was inspired by the Writers Island epiphany prompt.)
A Childhood Shadow
Thursday, February 10th, 2011Poetry prompts can serve up everything from fun inspiration to unsettling memories. For instance, the shadows prompt courtesy of Poets United Thursday Think Tank brought back a wistful early childhood memory of my late father Ernest Begun and Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. More specifically, the two of us reciting my favorite childhood poem, My Shadow.
I’m certain that the many hours we spent poring over that Stevenson volume had lots to do with my own versifying. And so, this haiku:
Robert Stevenson’s
I have a little shadow…
My dad’s knee at three.
Shower Demons
Saturday, January 5th, 2008As I shower
Poems pour out from parts unknown,
Demanding to be shared.
Still, I linger.
Verses taunt me: “Write us down.
Your thoughts, they must be bared.”
End of shower.
Laptop beckons. Towel’s dropped.
I’m free — my poem’s been aired.
