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Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Monday Poetry Stretch - Clerihew

Haven't you heard that Tuesday is the New Monday? No, it wasn't a Super Bowl hangover. Between hosting Poetry Friday and the work that had piled up, I completely forgot to post!

Since I'm feeling a little blue (it's the time of year and lack of sun), I'm in need of poetry for the funny bone. clerihew is a short verse that is biographical and humorous. Here are the rules for writing a clerihew.
  • The poem must be four lines long.
  • The rhyme scheme must be a/a/b/b.
  • The first line should consist of the name of a person.
  • The poem should be biographical and humorous. Often times clerihews poke fun at famous people.
You can learn more about clerihews at Poetry for Kids and Wikipedia. You can get some advice on writing clerihews at Giggle Poetry. Here's an example.
The enemy of Harry Potter
Was a scheming plotter.
I can't tell you what he's called; I'd be ashamed
To name "he who must not be named."
So, what kind of clerihew will you write? Will your subject be literary or political? I hope you'll join me this week in writing one (or two!). Please share a link to your poem or the poem itself in the comments.

3 comments:

  1. Not really my thing, but I wrote a few!

    There was a small boy named Max
    who left mayhem in his tracks.
    But after the trouble he’d make,
    he always found room for cake.

    Jane Austen wielded her pen,
    outshining literary men.
    Elizabeth’s prejudice died
    and so did Darcy’s pride.

    President Barack Obama
    wishes he could call his mama.
    Though he tries to get things done,
    elephants trample him by the ton.

    —Kate Coombs, 2014
    all rights reserved

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    Replies
    1. Three cheers -- one for each! I'll come back to this challenge later in the week. My January poem-a-day habit got badly derailed for a week, but I'm back at it!

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  2. BRAD PITT
    Brad Pitt threw a fit
    Because his film was not a hit
    He shouldn’t be mad you see
    Because he’s with Angelina Jolie.

    (c) Charles Waters 2014 all rights reserved.

    ReplyDelete