Paint-Challenged Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane
My talent for painting is humble
And whenever I try it, I stumble.
Realistic’s my aim.
Then I fail and just claim
It’s an abstract, obscured by a scumble.
Note from Mad Kane: I can’t paint at all, and I never go near a paintbrush. But the new-to-me word “scumble” came up in a limerick prompt mailing list, and I couldn’t resist trying to use it.
Limerick 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!
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 had made a mistake…*
or
A woman had made a mistake…*
*(Minor variations to my first lines are acceptable, but rhyme words may not be altered.)
Here’s my limerick:
A Limerick Mistake
By Madeleine Begun Kane
A fellow had made a mistake:
Paid big bucks for a painting — a fake.
“This picture’s real good,”
He said, “Gothic, by Wood.”
But the tool in the pic was a rake.
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!
Mad Kane (Madeleine Begun Kane) is a writer, musician, and "recovering lawyer." She won the Robert Benchley Society Award For Humor and enjoys writing limericks, song parodies, and current events haiku.
You can email her at madkane@madkane.com, visit her political humor blog, or stop by her home page.
