Presidential Clerihews (Light Verse about Bush and Carter)

I’m experimenting with a new (to me) type of light verse: the clerihew. Wikipedia provides several examples and describes the form as follows:

* It is biographical and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; it pokes fun at mostly famous people

* It has four lines of irregular length (for comic effect); the third and fourth lines are usually longer than the first two

* The rhyme structure is AABB; the subject matter and wording are often humorously contrived in order to achieve a rhyme

*The first line consists solely (or almost solely) of the subject’s name.

I’ve written a pair of clerihews about two former U.S. Presidents, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush:

Jimmy Carter,
Energy martyr.
Warned we’d be debtors,
Looked lousy in sweaters.

George W. Bush,
A pain in the tush.
Less nasty and brainy
Than running mate Cheney.

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8 Responses to “Presidential Clerihews (Light Verse about Bush and Carter)”

  1. Steve Nance says:

    Omar Suleiman
    Egypt’s new bully man?
    The poeple oppose thee
    No “Baby Doc” Hosni!

  2. madkane says:

    Wonderful, Steve!

  3. Sarah Palin,
    Parasailin’:
    Takes a leap on a dare
    and gets way too much air.

  4. madkane says:

    I like that murr!

  5. Scott says:

    very good madkane!

  6. Scott says:

    Bush 43
    an imbecile he
    was a rich spoiled brat
    who couldn’t spell cat

    if given a C
    an A and a T
    but the boy partied hard
    and deserted the Guard

  7. madkane says:

    Thanks! Fun verse, Scott and Rob!

  8. Iwrite4u says:

    Clerihews are indeed a funny poems.You played them well :)