“Mom, what’s a limerick?” Gracie asked.

“It’s a funny little poem, honey.”

“I’m supposed to write one but I don’t know how.”

Gracie’s mom put down her pen and moved the papers on her desk aside. “Well, let’s figure it out together.”

“Where do we even start?”

“Surely Mrs. Hayes must have given you instructions.”

Gracie bowed her head. “She gave us a sheet but I still don’t get it.”

“Let’s go over it together.” Her mom looked over the paper. “Okay. A limerick has five lines. It has a certain rhythm or ‘meter’ and a particular rhyme scheme.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“Well, let’s look at the examples and follow the rules, step by step.”

“Okay,” Gracie said without enthusiasm.

“Why don’t you read these four examples out loud to get the rhythm and listen to the rhyme pattern.”

 Gracie cleared her throat and began:

“There once was a girl who loved soccer.

As she scored, not a goalie could block her.

Her foot work was praised.

But all eyebrows were raised

when she tripped, fell, and missed. What a shocker!

There once was a dancer in tights

Who could leap to incredible heights.

She waltzed ‘cross the floor,

and sashayed out the door.

At the top of the stairs, she took flight.

A kid on our track team was fast.

He laughed at the rest as he passed.

He showed off in school

thinking he was so cool,

then he tripped. Now his foot’s in a cast.

There once was a man from Siam

who dined upon scallops and clam.

He felt funny inside

so he went for a ride

to the ocean and jumped in and swam.”

“So,” said her mom. “Now we can figure out the rhyme scheme just by looking at these examples.  Look at the last word of the first line.”

“Soccer.”

“Right. Which lines end with a word or words that rhyme with that?”

“Um, the word soccer rhymes with block her and shocker. So the first, second and fifth lines have to rhyme with each other?”

“Check the other limericks to be sure.”

“Okay. In the second one, the words tights, heights and flight all rhyme. And in the third one, it’s fast, passed and cast. And in the fourth one, it’s Siam, clam, and swam.

“Are there any other lines that rhyme with each other?”

“Ah, the third and fourth rhyme with each other with a new rhyme. Praised and raised. Floor and door.  School and cool. And inside and ride.

“Right. Now, before you write your own, read them all out loud again and exaggerate the rhythm just for fun. Listen to how singsongy it is and how the first, second, and fifth lines are longer than the third and fourth.”

Gracie read them aloud again and was laughing by the time she finished. Exaggerating had made them fun and now she had the feeling of the rhythm inside herself.

She ran to her room and gathered up some paper and a pencil. At first nothing came. Then the idea slipped into her mind and she began. Of course, she had to erase and cross out words that didn’t fit, and rearrange them, and try new rhymes. She even had to start all over twice. But she knew that’s what happened with a rough draft.  

When she finally had the rhythm and the rhymes just the way she wanted them, she carefully copied her work onto a clean piece of paper.

Her mom was back to work at her computer when Gracie came up behind her, cleared her throat, and began: 

A limerick is not hard to write.

They’re totally fun, day or night.

You work at the rhyme

and rhythm each time,

then play with the words ’til they’re right!

Mrs. Hayes is all smiling and sunny.

She’s warm, she’s smart, and she’s funny.

For her class I can’t wait,

I’d never be late,

Even if someone offered me money!

“Wonderful! Two for the price of one. Great job!” her mother said as she hugged her.

“The second one just leaped right out at me.”

“I’d call that Leaping Limericks.”

— Mary Lou Bagley is a freelance children’s author for the Journal Tribune.