A Limerick Competition

Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/month when nothing seems to go right. Yea, well that's been me for the past couple of years. OK, some things have worked out but every now and then I find that something has simply not worked out. Maybe I am becoming paranoid, I don't know but that's the way I feel.

Here's one very tiny and insignificant example.

Last week I bought a writing magazine, yes I do spend money on real printed magazines. Somewhere in that mag was notice of a limerick competition. It was from somewhere in Ireland (the five line poem called a Limerick is named after the town of the same name) and offered a small monetary prize for a Limerick using part of your address as the last word in the first line. As you are most likely aware, a limerick is a five line poem with a rhyming scheme of AABBA. This means that the address (part) sets the scene, as it were, for the poem. Now, my address offered a number of poor choices; I could have used a nnumber of things such as the road name, area, town, county even the country but I was not impressed by the scope offered by any of them.

Eventually, I thought that I had an idea which allowed me to overcome my doubts. I used the technique of enjambment, running the first line across to the second. This allowed me to use the two word name of the county I lived in, the West Midlands. I was rather doubtful that it would be allowed by the judges but at least it was a possibility and got me started.

A house with a mouse - by John Dyhouse

There was a young man of the West
Midlands, in fact; lived in a palatial nest
He had a fine house
with its very own mouse
but oh, what a terrible pest.

The only problem is that I was unable to find the reference to the competition in the magazine, which was in fact Writing Magazine ,  I could not even find it on their web site, so despite now having several limericks to choose from, I no longer have the details to send in my entry.

No I know it isn't the end of the world (I did say it was small and insignificant) and I will be searching very carefully to find it again but that  sums up what has been happening so many frustrations and issues have been dogging the family. But I am a half-full person so will continue to be optimistic. I have no doubt that it is in that magazine and so am sure that another page by page review will unearth it soon.

I will post a couple more of the limericks in my next post.

A Poem - An Empty House

There is a time when because of a reason which you have no control over, yo may have to part with the house, the home, that you grew up in. Recently I was affected by such a happening and I wrote this poem inspired by the feeling which I though were appropriate.

An Empty House

Once full of life and laughter

Now empty and forelorn;

The house that I grew up in

Is left behind, foresworn.

Time marches on I know that;

And time cannot be stayed,

But now I leave that empty shell,

Knowing memories will fade.

Faded but not forgotten;

I will remember all

The good times, and the bad times

Family ties will ever call.

Call to me across the years

Wherever I may roam.

To help me live a better life,

And build my own sweet home

One home decays and gathers dust

One will be fresh and new

But I will be the link between

Them both, for me and you.

For life goes on and I will grow

In stature as I age,

Developing a life anew;

And write another page.

So weep not for that empty house,

Which I had once called home.

For love creates new memories,

To share when we’re alone.

This is another poem written for the poem-a-day project. This did not come easily and was not mapped out at the beginning. The rhymes simply led me from one line to another, often writing across the verses.

Thanks for reading.