Pet Limericks - Are you up for the challenge?

Pets make ideal subjects for limericks, so in honor of National Limerick Day, we present the Great Pet Limerick Challenge for you to come up with a limerick that incorporates your animal's name or other qualities.

Edward Lear, widely regarded as the 'daddy' of the limerick, had a beloved tabby cat named Foss, who he incorporated into a number of his pet portraits- specifically car portraits and a minimum of one poem.

If you value poetry however, like I, find it to be challenging and beyond your innovative reach to pull off, limericks were made for you. Limericks are poems, but they are short, easy to write, and planned to be wacky, so you can let your imagination run wild and don't stress over attempting to seem like Emily Dickinson.

Here are the "rules" of how to develop a limerick, according to Your Dictionary:

• A limerick is a humorous poem including 5 lines.
• The initially, 2nd, and 5th lines need to have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the exact same spoken rhythm.
• The 3rd and fourth lines should only have 5 to 7 syllables; they too should rhyme with each other and have the very same rhythm.
• Most limericks begin by describing a person and place, and then the remainder of the lines explain that person's actions. Substitute pet with person for this exercise.

While these are guidelines, do not feel obliged to follow them too strictly. Lots of authors have actually extended the guidelines to terrific effect, and they are supposed to be fun, after all. Likewise, limericks are frequently naughty so breaking the rules remains in character.

Here are 2 limerick examples from well-known authors:

John Updike:

There Was an Old Poop from Poughkeepsie

There was an old poop from Poughkeepsie,
Who tended, at night, to be tipsy.
Said he, ”My last steps
Aren’t propelled by just Schweppes! ” –
That peppy old poop from Poughkeepsie.

Rudyard Kipling:

There Was A Small Boy of Quebec

There was a small boy of Quebec,
Who was buried in snow to his neck;
When they said. “Are you friz?”
He replied, “Yes, I is—
But we don’t call this cold in Quebec.”

And, so you see that anybody can do it, here is a less classy limerick I composed about my mums Labrador:.

There Was a Labrador Called Cooper.

There was a fab lab called Coopy
Dropped shoes and scraps sent him loopy
His name was Cooper,
He was the best hoola hooper!
His snuggles earnt treats that sent us all loopy!

Ok not the best, but as I said, anyone can have a go! If you need assistance, there's a plethora of resources online and even apps that generate limericks, just make a few alterations to fit your pet and you'll be onto a winner.

If you require aid finding rhyming words, attempt Rhymer.com.

Where did Limericks come from and how did they get their name?

Edward Lear, a popular British artist, poet, and author of literary rubbish, is extensively thought about the daddy of the limerick. He didn't compose the very first one-- the very first limericks happened in the early 1700s and are frequently maintained in folk tunes-- however he promoted the type, according to Your Dictionary. He composed some of the finest.

The name Limerick is believed to originate from the Irish county of Limerick, although the poetry kind did not come from there. It is hypothesized that it stemmed from an 18th-century Irish soldiers' tune, "Will You Come Up to Limerick?" that had lots of rubbish verse.

check out our pet portraits collection at www.pawandglory.com