I had fun writing my Pleiades poems in November, so I thought I’d try my hand at playing with Limericks. This style of poetry consists of a single stanza of five lines. The first, second, and fifth lines are supposed to rhyme. Also, the third and fourth lines should rhyme with each other. These short poems should have an AABBA structure. The limerick is a folk style of poetry. It can be humorous and, at times, bawdy. I’m not certain if I can achieve witty or bawdy, but hopefully, I can stick with the rhyme pattern. Therefore, I wrote Kokomo Arnold to honor the memory of an old-time bluesman.
Kokomo Arnold
There once was a bluesman named Arnold who paid his dues
Singing a song with the noteworthy title The Original Kokomo Blues
Robert Johnson found and rewrote it
And it somehow became a big blues hit
Sweet Home Chicago without all of Arnold’s slide guitar to-dos
The blues has always held a special place in my heart ever since I heard Muddy Waters on WWNAP as a teenager. This short Limerick pays tribute to both Robert Johnson and Kokomo Arnold. It is said Arnold was the grandfather of the Chicago Blues. His nickname was Kokomo Arnold. Legend has it Robert Johnson t the Devil at the crossroads and sold his soul for fame and fortune.
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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