1. Limericks, Haikus & Epigrams
An introduction and then some….

2. Limericks
A limerick is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet were a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem.

3. Limericks are nonsense verse
They have five lines
They have a rhyme scheme of A, A, B, B, A (lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme; lines 3 and 4 rhyme)
The syllabification is 8, 8, 5, 5, 8

4. Limericks are meant to be funny
Limericks are meant to be funny. They often contain hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns and other figurative devices.
The last line of a good limerick contains the PUNCH LINE or “heart of the joke.”
As you work with limericks, remember to have pun, I mean FUN
Say the following limericks out loud and clap to the rhythm…

5. A flea and a fly in a flue
Were caught, so what could they do?
Said the fly, “Let us flee.”
“Let us fly,” said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

6. There was a Young Lady whose nose,
Was so long that it reached to her toes;
So she hired an Old Lady,
Whose conduct was steady,
To carry that wonderful nose.

7. Now you practice…
There was a new teacher from ___________________ Who ________________________________________ The Principal came in And said _____________________________________ Then ________________________________________

8. There was a new teacher from the east,
Who didn’t know farm life in the least
The principal came in
And said with a grin,
“The back hoe needs to be greased.”

9. Haiku
A form of Japanese poetry that has three lines, where the first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five. Traditionally, a haiku focuses on nature.

10. Behind me the moon
brushes shadows of pine trees
lightly on the floor.

11. Goldfish in a bowl
darting, circling, hurrying
without arriving.

12. Epigram
An epigram is a short, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with a quick, satirical twist at the end.
The subject is usually a single thought or event.

13. Sir, I admit your general rule, That every poet is a fool, But you yourself may serve to show it, That every fool is not a poet.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

14. The Termite  
Some primal termite knocked on wood And tasted it, and found it good! And that is why your Cousin May Fell through the parlor floor today.
by Ogden Nash

15. For tomorrow… Write at least one original limerick.
Write at least one haiku.
Write at least on epigram.
Use the rest of class time to get to work!! Have fun