Posts Tagged ‘Light Verse’

Double Dactyl For Eric Cantor

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

Eric Cantor gave his House farewell address today. And that gives me all the excuse I need to post this non-limerick of mine, which I entered in the Style Invitational’s recent double dactyl contest:

Beaterdy Featerdy,
GOP Leader E.
Cantor’s unseated and
Out of a job.

Pundits are shocked by his
Unceremonious
Ouster by Brat of the
Tea Party mob.

If you’re not familiar with the double dactyl, I summarize their rules here.

And, by the way, I lost. You can find the winners’ list here.

Double Dactyl For Chris Christie

Thursday, July 17th, 2014

Have you noticed the new wave of stories about Chris Christie’s upcoming Iowa visit? This renewed coverage of Christie’s presidential aspirations gives me an excuse to post this non-limerick of mine, which I entered in the Style Invitational’s recent double dactyl contest:

Bridgery Fridgery,
Governor Christie is
Stuck in a scandal and
Can’t bridge the gap.

Oval-aimed dieting,
Indefatigably,
Hoping to run as a
Skinnier chap.

If you’re not familiar with the double dactyl, I summarize their rules here.

And, by the way, I lost. You can find the winners’ list here.

Presidential Clerihews (Light Verse about Bush and Carter)

Friday, February 11th, 2011

I’m experimenting with a new (to me) type of light verse: the clerihew. Wikipedia provides several examples and describes the form as follows:

* It is biographical and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; it pokes fun at mostly famous people

* It has four lines of irregular length (for comic effect); the third and fourth lines are usually longer than the first two

* The rhyme structure is AABB; the subject matter and wording are often humorously contrived in order to achieve a rhyme

*The first line consists solely (or almost solely) of the subject’s name.

I’ve written a pair of clerihews about two former U.S. Presidents, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush:

Jimmy Carter,
Energy martyr.
Warned we’d be debtors,
Looked lousy in sweaters.

George W. Bush,
A pain in the tush.
Less nasty and brainy
Than running mate Cheney.