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 must 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 believe I can stick with the rhyme pattern. I wrote Hens in the House to honor the original henhouse ladies. You know who you are.
Hens in the House
Once there were three hens in the house
Who tried to be as quiet as a mouse
They lay golden eggs
Balancing on wobbly legs
Because the farmer was something of a louse
I worked in a tiny booth with three other women. People referred to our space as The Bunker. We started calling this both The Henhouse for purely self-defense reasons. I made a crazy quilt and hung it on the wall.
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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