Limerick

A limerick is an often silly or funny poem.

Structure

Limericks have five lines. They often start “There once was” or “I know a” but don’t have to!

The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (usually eight or nine).

The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (usually five or six).

Example

I know a schoolboy from Dubai,

Who was baked by mistake in a pie.

To his mother’s disgust

He emerged through the crust

And exclaimed, “What a good boy am I!”

A creature of charm is the gerbil

Its diet’s exclusively herbal.

It grazes all day

On bunches of hay

Passing gas with an elegant burble.

(Source.)