PART A : POETRY - National Adult Literacy Database

The limerick is a light-hearted and humourous, often silly, five-line poem
which uses mainly anapestic (galloping) rhythm. Limericks certainly can’t be
considered the finest examples of poetry, but they are entertaining and easy to write.
There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger
They came back from the ride
With the tiger inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
Anonymous
18
There was an old man with a beard,
Who said, “ It is just as I feared! --
Two Owls and a Hen
Four Larks and a Wren
Have all built their nests in my beard.
Edward Lear
Try marking the rhythm of these lines. You will find that they are mainly anapestic.
Haikus were originated in Japan. They are unrhymed, three-line poems with
five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in
the third line. Aspects of nature are dominant in haikus. These short pieces usually
present simple visual images; there is no room for complicated themes in a threeline
poem. Keep in mind that if you are reading a translation of a haiku which was
originally written in Japanese, the number of syllables may vary from the 5-7-5 rule.
Haiku
Russet leaves lie still
on grass, and autumn’s final
flower looks sunward.
Anonymous