A young person’s guide to the limerick

A limerick that’s funny AND clean?
A concept that’s almost obscene
When delivered with force
The Limerick is coarse
The best poetry I’ve ever seen!

But a challenge is hard to resist
So to enter this I must insist
I’ll try to be good
And do what I should
And finish each verse with a twist

The first line is the best place to start
The second is next, like a cart
That follows the horse
You knew that of course
Or like an accident follows a fart

You see what I mean about crude
The verse form’s so perfect for rude
But at fourteen years old
You can’t be so bold
So I’ll monitor my attitude

Now we’ve written two lines of our rhyme
The short two should come at this time
They set up the pun
That the first two begun
And to disappoint now is a crime

They’ve got to be witty and snappy
To keep all our good readers happy
If they don’t go down well
They’ll leave a bad smell
Like a baby that’s pooped in its nappy

Then a punchline is needed to end
This poem you’ll send to a friend
A joke or a pun
Just something that’s fun
Or a crudity meant to offend!

Now this poet has run out of steam
And the readers are ready to scream
So I’ll end on a low
Before you yell “GO!”
And leave the jokes to the rest of the team