Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday Poetry Stretch - Clerihew

Last year at this time I wrote these seasonal poems in the form of a clerihew. A clerihew is a four-line verse written in an a/a/b/b rhyme scheme that is biographical and humorous.
Frosty was a man of snow
who liked it ten degrees below.
He feared for days that were too warm,
for melting ruined his boyish form.

The shiny nose on Rudolph's face,
gives the 'deer a special place.
Leading the sleigh through fog and snow,
he's grateful that his bum don't glow!
I thought it might be fun to revisit this form again. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.

17 comments:

  1. Counting Rhyme
    by Lawrence Schimel

    Robert Frost
    turned and tossed,
    unable to fall asleep;
    he was counting iambs instead of sheep.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emily Dickson loved to dash.
    It lent her poems a strange panache.
    If she'd just learned to use the comma
    She might have married and been a mama.


    R.L.Stevenson loved the sea.
    He was much shorter than thee or me.
    If he had walked on wooden pegs
    He would have had much longer legs.


    Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hide,
    One was out and one inside,
    Depending on the time of day
    He walked the good or evil way.


    These are a lot of fun t write!

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pity poor ol' Santa Claus,
    Who has a thing for Häagen-Dazs.
    He tries to be a jolly soul,
    But cookies make his belly roll!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Skydrops of rain skating down,
    Grateful earthworm buries a frown,
    Thinks, "Oh wow, oh woo, oh wee...
    I do so love a mud smoothie!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tricia,

    Here's a clerihew I posted at Political Verses last week:

    A Clerihew about Max Baucus

    Senator Max Baucus
    Of the “slap and tickle” caucus
    Considered Melodee Hanes
    To be one of his Capitol gains.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Joy of Handmade Gifts: An Autobiographical Clerihew

    'Tis the week before Christmas; I'm frantically knittng.
    My skills 'gainst your holiday wishes I'm pitting.
    Next year, if for hand knits you happen to thirst,
    Better tell me before December first!

    Easter

    ReplyDelete
  7. After finishing the last cookie on his plate,
    Santa declared, “I resolve to lose some weight!
    When he opened the jar and took out two more,
    His wife shook her head, she’d heard it all before.


    I couldn't get it to format right, but here's my attempt.
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pity Edgar Allan Poe,
    his life and work a tale of woe.
    When he came drunken through the door,
    His young wife scolded, "Nevermore!"

    Scrooge said "Bah humbug" to his clerk
    and growled that life was just for work.
    When he was spirited away,
    he learned to relish Christmas Day.

    --Kate Coombs (Book Aunt)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oops! Should be "his young wife..."--without the capital H.

    --Kate

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fieri's Camaro convertible in red
    takes him to joints where he is fed
    foods that feed his growing addiction
    for grub that he says, "Ummm, tastes like chicken!"


    Confession time: I'm addicted to food porn.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mine is a clerihew written using dactyls:

    Emily Dickinson
    wore her hair in a bun,
    made notes throughout the day,
    then wrote the night away.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Busy week, so this is all that came out:

    Well Tiger Woods, it’s safe to say,
    You sealed your fate some shoddy way,
    By playing girls the way you did,
    Your pedestal just took a skid.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Trica--

    Here are a couple of Christmas-themed clerihews:

    Ruldolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
    Led his team into the aerosphere
    As they pulled Santa’s sleigh
    Up, up and away.


    The Grinch hated the Whos.
    They gave him the blues.
    He tried to steal Christmas away—
    But they sang and celebrated that day!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Elaine, you are the champion of clerihews - I bow down in amazement at the Baucus! Here are my two latest:

    Senator Joe Lieberman
    is a true believer when
    he says, "Well, if you're not wealthy,
    just try harder to stay healthy."

    and

    Fightin' Al Franken
    gave some Senators a spankin' -
    Tonight watchin' the T and V:
    Whoa! SMACKDOWN IN D.C!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Julie,

    I'd say you're the clerihew champion. I think it's fun writing clerihews and double dactyls.

    Love your "SMACKDOWN IN D.C.!" ending

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tricia,

    Julie's clerihew about Lieberman inspired me to write another clerihew:

    Lieberman, Joe?
    That guy's gotta go!
    I need health insurance quick
    Cuz Joe makes ME sick.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Here's the link: http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/poetry-fridayclerihew/

    Santa's work at the North Pole
    Hopes to reach its yearly goal
    Otherwise on Christmas Eve
    Walmart will provide for those who believe!

    Santa's elves always so merry
    discovered Santa's secret margarita cranberry
    instead of getting the sleigh ready
    they had trouble keeping their feet steady

    ReplyDelete