Roll up, roll up – write a limerick, see it posted on the library wall, win a prize!

An invitation – enter Friends of TSL’s limerick competition at The Fun Palace at Tate South Lambeth Library on Saturday October 3^rd.

The details –

Drop off your limerick at the library (preferably on A4-size paper) any time before 6pm on Wednesday September 30^th and it will then be put on display at the library. Late entries can be handed in by the deadline of midday October 3^rd. Please add your name, age (if under 17) and e mail/phone contact.

Winning limericks (one for adults, the other for under-17s) will receive prizes ( £15 vouchers) and will be posted on this website and in Friends’ monthly newsletter, alongside a selection of entries.

– and a friendly guide –

Here are some hints on writing a limerick (remember, love poems are more difficult to write – limericks are jokes!).

A limerick has five lines that rhyme AABBA. The first, second, and fifth lines should have eight or nine syllables, while the third and fourth lines should have five or six. A limerick also has a specific rhythm, or “meter,” that is created when syllables are stressed in different ways. Clap your hands when reciting your limericks aloud. It helps you find out the ‘feel’ of the meter, and check if it has the right flow.

A tip – choose the ending of your first line first of all. Knowing this first will help you mentally sift through rhymes.

– with a sample –

A delinquent who lived on his own

Attempted to take out a loan.

When the banker said “no,”

The man asked with great woe

How his library fines had been known!

– and some starters

If you prefer, why not complete one of these as your entry?

1. There was a librarian from Mars

Whose head was surrounded by stars …………

2. A library in darkest Peru

Wanted to try something totally new……………….

3. When the library was quiet and still

And the air was suddenly chill……………….

4. There was a librarian from Brighton

Who was rather easy to frighten…………….

5. There was a librarian called Dan,

Who drove his books round in a van……………

6. There was a librarian from Norway

Whose trolley got stuck in a doorway…………….

7. There was a librarian called Melvin

Who, one day, was doing the shelving……………..

8. There was a librarian from Eastleigh

Who sometimes could be a bit beastly…………….

9. There was a librarian called Kate,

Who scowled if a book came back late…………..

10. There was a librarian called Jake,

Who once stamped his hand by mistake…………

So get composing – and good luck!