Archive for May, 2009

Employee Blues

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Employee Blues
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A hard-working woman named May
Was employed at a very low pay.
And to make matters worse,
Her boss stole her purse.
How is that for bad fortune! Oy Vey!

Feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, please join my friends in that same activity in my limerick-offs.

Obstreperous Verse

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Obstreperous Verse
By Madeleine Begun Kane

An obstreperous fellow named Joe
Picked a fight with a long-standing foe.
It began with a curse.
He soon needed a nurse.
Now Joseph is missing a toe.

Feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, please join my friends in that same activity in my limerick-offs.

Doc Mockery

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Doc Mockery (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A nervous young fellow named Phil
Asked his doc if he needed a will.
He responded, “Don’t worry,
But kindly go hurry
And pay up your overdue bill.”

Update: Happy National Doctors’ Day! (March 30th)

Pedestrian Plea

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Pedestrian Plea (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

There once was a fellow named Mike,
Who was bored while out riding his bike.
So he spoke on his cell,
Did some texting, then fell.
Multitaskers, oh please take a hike.

Update: I’ve just found out that November 17th Is “National Take A Hike Day.” Something tells me, it may be meant to celebrate something a bit different.

An Ode To The American Idol Finalists

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Since American Idol is one of the few TV shows I watch regularly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the finalists and write a limerick for finalists Kris Allen and Adam Lambert:

An Ode To The American Idol Finalists
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Many kudos to Adam and Kris!
Having Allison there would be bliss.
But it could have been worse.
I am Gokey-averse,
And he’s one guy I surely won’t miss.

American Idol Review

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

I feel (and share) EW’s Michael Slezak’s rage over the American Idol judges’ performance last night.

So what are we both so angry about? I sum it up in my American Idol Review haiku:

An “A for for effort”
To Gokey from the judges?
An F for standards.

Update: Now I’m really angry! Just as I feared, American Idol booted Allison Iraheta instead of Danny Gokey. Talk about unfair! The only good part is we were spared an encore rendition of Danny’s infamous final note.

A Humor Textbook? Laughing Matters

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Every so often, one of my essays ends up in a college textbook. It’s a delightful honor, of course. But I’m always just a bit freaked out by the thought of someone writing an essay analyzing one of my essays.

My latest textbook appearance is in Laughing Matters, a “comic rhetoric” textbook by Stanford University’s Marvin Diogenes. It’s a great book, and I’m really proud to have a humor column (actually a satirical music lesson contract between parents and child) included in the “forensic rhetoric” section, along with pieces by Chekhov, Benjamin Franklin, and Ian Frazier.

And happily, it’s NOT a what-not-to-do example.