Shy Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)

Once again, it’s Limerick-Off time. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.

The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner plus three Honorable Mentions.)

How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, and cleverness. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here are two excellent resources: OEDILF on Writing A Limerick and Speedy Snail’s Limerick Rhythm and Meter.)

I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.

I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:

A gal who was painfully shy…

or

A man who was painfully shy…

Here’s mine:

Shy Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A gal who was painfully shy
Had a crush on a very cute guy.
When she fin’lly let on,
He was rude — said “Begone!”
You want fairy tale endings here? Why?

Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity in my Facebook Limerick-Off post.

To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please send me an email requesting the alerts. You’ll find my email address on the upper right sidebar, in the “Author” section just below my Limerick-Offs button. Thanks!

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38 Responses to “Shy Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)”

  1. versebender says:

    Loved yours…funny…and quite perceptive…of course, that’s essential in humor isn’t it…that grain of truth.

    A man who was painfully shy
    Thought he might give whiskey a try
    To bolster his nerve
    But got thrown a curve
    His face slapped for groping her thigh

  2. jesse levy says:

    A man who was painfully shy
    was a big hit and didn’t know why.
    At a catered affair
    people laughed and they stared.
    It seems he had left down his fly.

  3. Marla says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Hid herself under hat and bonsai
    It was there that she saw
    An outrageous faux paux
    As Jimmy Hoffa smiled and walked by.

  4. Sally Franz says:

    A gal who was painfully shy.
    Was given to walks through the rye
    When asked what she learned
    She scoffed and she spurned
    My wisdom’s engrained by and by.

  5. andy sewina says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Thought she would give petting a try
    But try as she might
    To leave on the light
    Her lover was ten times more shy

  6. madkane says:

    I’m enjoying your limericks. Thanks! And please keep them coming!

  7. Granny Smith says:

    A guy who was painfully shy
    When asked for a speech said he’d try
    But each word he uttered
    Was muttered or stuttered.
    He even was too shy to cry.

  8. Johanna Richmond says:

    A man who was painfully shy
    On his analyst’s couch, whispered “why?”
    “Vell, your Vater ist rich
    und your mutter’s a bitch
    But my bet’s on that shrimp in your fly.”

  9. Dr. Goose says:

    A doll dat wuz painfully shy
    At catchin’ da wanderin’ eye
    Tried a push-up brassiere
    And her Ma said: “It’s clear,
    You can bet dat it’s just for a guy.”

  10. A gal who was painfully shy
    except about saying goodbye.
    She relaxed with a kiss,
    so relieved that this
    meant end of ordeal, she could fly.

  11. madkane says:

    Oh good, more fun limericks. Thanks!

  12. Elaine Spall says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Met for lunch with an also shy guy
    They spent most of their date
    Looking down at their plate
    ‘Cause they blush when they face eye to eye

  13. Elaine Spall says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Found new work out of the public eye
    Unseen, undiscovered
    Always undercover
    She never gets seen…she’s a spy!

  14. Elaine Spall says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Got a job as a clown and here’s why
    When her face gets all flush
    She just adds some more blush
    And an laugh at the fact that she cries!

  15. Elaine Spall says:

    There once was a gal called Mad Kane
    On Monday’s led a crazy campaign
    With limericks as her muse
    She gave out one line clues
    That sent writers, not mad, but insane!

  16. Hansi says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Met a man who was terribly sly
    He plied her with romance
    Trying to get in her pants
    But she soon wised-up and said bye bye.

  17. earlybird says:

    Thanks to some good input, I think I’ve got it right now!

    A gal who was painfully shy
    thought she’d give paso doble a try;
    though her feet were confused
    and her partner bemused
    she managed to look in his eye.

  18. Victoria says:

    I didn’t know you had this challenge. How fun, Madeleine. I am in a catch-up mode, so can’t try right now, but maybe soon.

  19. Victoria says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    couldn’t look at you straight in the eye
    so she set out to find
    a man who was blind.
    It was love at first sight and first sigh.

  20. A gal who was painfully shy
    and grateful that no one asked why
    sent her twin to retrieve
    the McNugget’s repreive:
    a taste tester of sauces to try.

  21. Granny Smith says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Let eyes meeting hers mortify
    Her. Then she met Jm
    And was smtten wth hm
    But stll tryed to avoyd every i.

  22. Granny Smith says:

    A man who was terribly shy
    Didn’t marry though years had gone by.
    Then he thought, “This is silly.
    And that gal’s a dilly.”
    Then he worked up the nerve to say, “Hi.”

  23. Lee Magilow says:

    A man who was terribly shy
    Avoided the world with a sigh.
    His mom hid to read,
    To find her indeed,
    He had to catch her in the rye.

  24. madkane says:

    It’s good to see more fun limericks. Thanks, and please keep them coming. You have till Sunday to post your limericks and compete to be named “Limerick of the Week.”

    And thanks so much Elaine for your amusing limerick about me and my insanity-provoking Limerick-Offs! :)

  25. scott says:

    A guy who was painfully shy,
    it seems wasn’t so cut and dry.
    The gals thought he was kind,
    but all he had on his mind,
    was “how can I get to that pie?”

    A gal who was painfully shy,
    has a motto all gals should live by.
    “Love the man that you wed,
    and be a whore in his bed.”
    That’s why I’m a real lucky guy.

    Most folks who are painfully shy,
    are really just like you and I.
    Just a couple stiff drinks,
    and we’ll say what we think.
    So get drunk and watch the shit fly!

  26. Veralynne Pepper says:

    A man who was painfully shy
    Once knuckled a guy in the eye
    It scared him to tears
    So he had a few beers
    And thought, “Next time, I’ll use a pie.”

  27. Veralynne Pepper says:

    A woman who was painfully shy
    Couldn’t look meter square in the eye
    I first have to feel it
    Before I can seal it
    If a cute one, a slip can slip by.

  28. Granny Smith says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Caught a news photographer’s eye.
    Though she didn’t mean
    To be seen at the scene
    She would see her face featured. Oh my!

  29. Laurie Kolp says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Ducked her head when others passed by
    Blocking her view
    Subjugating, too
    Skunk-like roots that stunk like cow pie

  30. Laurie Kolp says:

    I tried several times to copy mine to FB, but it won’t work…

  31. Granny Smith says:

    A gal who was terribly shy
    In person, let guys pass her by,
    But left them agog
    with her hot sexy blog
    And met guy – after guy – after guy.

  32. Granny Smith says:

    Could you remove that embarrassing “Like” that was appended to my limerick above? I had written on Facebook, copied it, then was called away urgently, and hit “paste” here when I returned. Even more embarrassingly I must have hit “Like” on my own Facebook entry as I hurried away. I found that out when looking to see who liked my entry. Thank you, Madeleine, from a red-faced Granny!

  33. madkane says:

    LOL! Done, Granny. :)

    And Laurie re posting on Facebook, if your problem is with formatting or premature posting, use shift/enter for each line and use enter alone only when you have the whole thing pasted in and are ready to post.
    Thanks for participating!

    And thanks again everyone for your fun limericks!

  34. Mark Kane says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Found herself on a ladder quite high.
    Was she trying to flirt,
    Wearing such a short skirt?
    Well yes, from the look on that guy!

  35. Mark Kane says:

    A gal who was painfully shy
    Spied a man with a wide open fly.
    She surmised he was proud,
    And wanted a crowd.
    But since it’s so tiny, then why?

  36. Patrice of the ManyCats says:

    Lost Oppor-tuna-ty

    A gal who was painfully shy
    One day ordered a tuna on rye;
    Stared in disbelief
    At ghastly corned beef:
    Speak up? No, she’d rather just die…

    She sighed and then got back in line
    Praying for intervention divine,
    Then started to quiver
    When given chopped liver ~
    ‘Twas time to develop a spine!

  37. madkane says:

    Thanks again to all of you for your charming limericks. This week’s contest is now closed, although you’re free to keep posting shy limericks here, if you’d like to.

    Here’s where to go if you want to find out who won Limerick of the week.

    And I’ve posted my new Limerick-Off and Limerick of the Week contest here.