The Limerick, or: Form verses creativity

Posted on by ben Alexander

Sangeetha & David’s new poetry project

Once upon a time, two poets who’d never met in person spontaneously began writing verses back and forth to one another over the Internet. Their first poetry project took them some nine months: a 100 verse Hyakuin.

Once they’d completed their oeuvre, the two decided to continue their creative journey together; and Sangeetha came up with a fun new idea, which David loved – to explore different poetic forms together, working through the Alphabet from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.

Every week, for twenty-six weeks beginning in January of the year 2022, they would take turns selecting poetic forms beginning with the letter corresponding to that particular week (1=A, 2=B, etc., etc.) and write poems to one another using that form.

David suggested they call their new project ‘Form verses creativity’, and so it began.

L for Limerick

David’s Limerick

An Israeli who thought he could rhyme
met an Indian who kept perfect time.
He would oft share his verse,
which she'd read with lips pursed
and then rework into stanzas sublime.

Sangeetha’s Limerick

An Indian who gets lost in her words
met an Israeli who converses in verse
They began a cute collab
penning poems, fun to fab,
syncing syllables and melding worlds

Limerick?

A limerick (/ˈlɪmərɪk/ LIM-ər-ik) is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly anapestic trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme..

Sangeetha & David’s ‘Form verses creativity’

  1. The Alouette
  2. The Balance
  3. The Candlelight
  4. The Dizain
  5. The Etheree
  6. The Florette
  7. The Ghazal
  8. The Hexaduad
  9. The Italian octave
  10. The Jue Ju
  11. The Kimo
  12. The Limerick
  13. The Marianne
  14. The Nocturna
  15. The Ottava Rima
  16. The Pathya Vat
  17. The Quintilla
  18. The Retrac
  19. The Sijo
  20. The Tritina
  21. The Ukiah
  22. The Verso-Rhyme
  23. The Waltz Wave
  24. X (wildcard): The Lira
  25. The YaDu
  26. The Zejel

Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

36 thoughts on “The Limerick, or: Form verses creativity”

  3. Yay to both of you! These are adorable verses and speak a lot to your friendship and artistic endeavors as a team. I hope you both continue to write together–it brings a lot of joy to your readers. Thanks, Sangeetha and David! 🙂

  4. So clever, David and Sangeetha! And funny too! 😂😁 Love the use of alliteration and imagery here! ❤️

  9. An Israeli and an Indian– a perfect match/ Though they started from scratch/ Both of poetic nature/ And of equal stature/ What awesome poems they hatch!!

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