Posts Tagged ‘July Holidays’

Limerick Ode To National Dance Day and National Can-Can Day

Saturday, July 26th, 2014

Ordinarily, I’d celebrate National Dance Day today by dancing. But a mysterious foot injury’s forcing me to sublimate by writing a limerick:

Limerick Ode To National Dance Day
By Madeleine Begun Kane

It’s Dance Day, so dance if you can.
Do the can-can or whirl with a fan.
Give your muscles some work,
Though it’s best not to twerk
Without checking your medical plan.

Alternative Version For Can-Can Day (Oct. 21):

It’s Can-Can Day. Dance if you can.
Kick your legs. Whirl those skirts. Twirl a fan.
Give your muscles some work,
Though it’s best not to twerk
Without checking your medical plan.

Limerick Ode To “Tell An Old Joke Day”

Thursday, July 24th, 2014

Happy Tell An Old Joke Day!” (July 24)

Limerick Ode To “Tell An Old Joke Day”
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Some men seem compelled to keep telling
Ancient jokes. There is simply no quelling
Their need to assail us,
Assault and regale us
With stale, endless tales uncompelling.

Happy “Nude Day!” (July 14)

Monday, July 14th, 2014

Limerick Ode To “Nude Day”
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A gal likes to publicly doff
All her clothing, then pose to show off.
“It’s a strip search time-saver
I did you a favor,”
When jailed, she’ll transparently scoff.

Fried Limerick

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

Happy National French Fries Day (July 13.)

Fried Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

I am not a big fan of French fries.
I don’t find them a sight for sore eyes.
(A sore stomach, perchance.)
Belgium fries, though, entrance.
But neither is wise for one’s thighs.

“No Bra Day” Ode

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

“No Bra Day” Ode
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Today is “No Bra Day.” Oh my!
But just ONE braless day? Won’t comply
With the custom of binding
Our breasts. I’m not minding
Those rules. I declare, “Let them fly!”

UPDATE: In addition to being celebrated on July 9th, No Bra Day is also celebrated on October 13.

(For more bra humor, here’s my Wonderbra Song Parody.)

Charlotte’s Ruse

Monday, July 7th, 2014

Charlotte’s Ruse
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Ms. Charlotte was trying to fix
Choc’late brownies by using a mix.
Then she buried the box
Under undies and sox,
And declared them homemade. (They were bricks.)

Happy World Chocolate Day! (July 7)

December 8 is “National Brownie Day.”

Ode To Workaholics

Saturday, July 5th, 2014

Today (July 5th) is National Workaholics Day.

Ode To Workaholics
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Workaholics endure a disease,
Which will cause neither cough nor a sneeze.
But they’re gripped by a fever;
They’re missing the lever
That permits them occasional ease.

Limerick Ode To A Stormy Independence Day

Friday, July 4th, 2014

Limerick Ode To A Stormy Independence Day
By Madeleine Begun Kane

The East Coast, alas, is awash
With Hurricane Arthurly slosh,
Bringing wind gusts and rain
And flooding — the bane
Of saluting the 4th with panache.

Limerick Ode To AC

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014

Today is the first day of Air Conditioning Appreciation days. (July 3 to August 15)

Limerick Ode To AC
By Madeleine Begun Kane

How I long to be sweaty-skin-free.
“Make it cool!” is my summertime plea.
Humidity, heat
Make me drip with defeat.
Yes indeed, I’m a fan of AC.

Strained Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

NOTE: THIS IS A TWO-WEEK LIMERICK-OFF. LIMERICK SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014

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.)

Please note that due to the holidays, this Limerick-Off will run for two weeks, instead of one. So I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner two weeks from today, on April 27, 2014, right before I post the next Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full two weeks to submit your clever, polished verse. Your submission deadline is Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 11 p.m. (Eastern Time.)

And since you’ll have two weeks, I’m offering you a topical alternative: In addition to your regular challenge, you may write a limerick related to any April holiday, using any first line. And of course I’ll present an extra award — one for the best holiday-related limerick.

And now, getting back to your regular Limerick-Off challenge, I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:

A woman whose budget was strained…*

or

A singer whose voice sounded strained…*

or

A fellow had struggled and strained…*

or

A woman whose mood was restrained…*

*(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:

Strained Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A chef who had struggled and strained
To serve noteworthy food appeared drained:
“I’m losing my shirt,”
He said, scarfing dessert.
Seems his rep (and his shirt) had been stained.

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!

UPDATE: July 25th is National Culinarians’ Day.

Bald Limerick

Friday, September 13th, 2013

Happy “Bald Is Beautiful Day.” (September 13)

Bald Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A hot woman was very enthralled
With a man who was totally bald.
It wasn’t his smarts
Or his charm or his parts,
But the central AC he’d installed.

Update: Air Conditioning Appreciation days run from July 3 to August 15.

Limerick Ode To “Tell An Old Joke Day”

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

Happy “Tell An Old Joke Day!” (July 24)

Limerick Ode To “Tell An Old Joke Day”
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A fellow just loves telling jokes:
Ancient japes — yes, he’s one of those folks
Who is certain he’s witty.
Egged on — this ain’t pretty —
Bored listeners pelt him with yolks.

Limerick Ode To “I Forgot Day”

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

I almost forgot to write a limerick about “I Forgot Day.” It’s celebrated, if I remember to, on July 2nd.

Limerick Ode To “I Forgot Day”
By Madeleine Begun Kane

I nearly forgot “I Forgot Day.”
How ’bout naming it “Memory Rot Day?”
Since my brain is a sieve,
I find each day I live
A confounding “Forgetting A Lot Day.”

A Game Limerick

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

One of my favorite weekly prompts is Three Word Wednesday. This week, it asks us to use the following three words in any sort of poem: Crumble, Drawn and Uneasy. Well, I managed to squeeze them all into this limerick:

A Game Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A chess player, looking quite drawn,
Was caught in an uneasy yawn.
“My game skills have crumbled,”
The man weakly mumbled.
“I feel like I’m naught but a pawn.”

UPDATE: July 20th is International Chess Day, and the 2nd Saturday of October is National Chess Day.

Haiku For National Junk Food Day

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

Happy National Junk Food Day — July 21st!

Today’s Junk Food Day.
One day? Chips on the table—
Way too limiting.

Limerick Ode To Bastille Day

Saturday, July 14th, 2012

Limerick Ode To Bastille Day
By Madeleine Begun Kane

It’s Bastille Day, Quatorze Juillet,
A time of panache and cachet.
Un jour férié—
La raison: Liberté.
Mon Français clearly sucks. Bonne journée.

(Dverse Poets Pub prompts us to write about Bastille Day.)

Happy National Clerihew Day! (July 10)

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

I just found out that today (July 10) is National Clerihew Day. What the heck’s a clerihew? It’s a “whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley.”

More specifically, clerihews are four-lines long with an A-A-B-B rhyme scheme and irregular meter. The first line names a person — the subject of the poem.

Here are a couple I’ve written about writers:

Edgar Allen Poe
A writerly bro
Who’s famed for the Raven.
What a scary poem maven!

*****

The author George Orwell
We ought not ignore well;
His writings polemic
Ain’t at all academic.

*****

And here are two about actresses:

Bette Davis
Film joy gave us.
Seduced gals and guys
With Bette Davis Eyes.

*****

Mae West
For life had zest.
Stoked gals and blokes
With “evil” jokes.

*****

(You can find my political clerihews here.)

Happy birthday to George Orwell, born June 25, 1903.

Happy Birthday, Calvin Coolidge! (Limerick)

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012

Happy Birthday to President John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933)

Limerick Ode To Calvin Coolidge
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Calvin Coolidge — a man of few words:
He thought garrulousness for the birds.
But the ones that he spoke
Were quite pointed. No joke!
If just two words would do, then no thirds.

Sun-Tanned Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)

Sunday, May 6th, 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 gal with a very deep tan…*

or

A guy with a very deep tan…*

*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)

Here’s my limerick:

Sun-Tanned Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A gal with a very deep tan
Was hoping to pick up a man.
But the guys got one look,
And that’s all that it took:
Wrinkled skin made her look like their gran.

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!

UPDATE: July 3rd is Stay Out Of The Sun Day.

Freedom Loving Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

It’s Limerick-Off time, once again. (Just because it’s Independence Day Weekend, doesn’t mean I’m free to ignore my versifying duties.)

So here’s the deal: 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 plus the Honorable Mentions.)

How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, and cleverness. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, you can find some helpful resources listed here.)

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 who always felt free…

or

A woman who always felt free…

Here’s mine:

Freedom Loving Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A fellow who always felt free
To do what he wanted with glee
Applied freedom one way,
Saying “Do what I say,”
To all, so his friend list was wee.

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 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!