Poetry at Work
It’s wasn’t just another workday. On January 11th, we celebrate Poetry at Work Day, a holiday observed annually on the second Tuesday of January. According to National Today, Poetry at Work Day helps to improve creativity in employees while simultaneously allowing them the opportunity to use literature to relax at work. Our team wrote and shared their own Limerick poems, all of which were met with enthusiastic snapping and laughter.
What is a Limerick Poem?
The Poetry Foundation defines a Limerick as “a fixed light-verse form of five generally anapestic lines rhyming AABBA.” These poems tend to be nonsensical, irreverent, and comedic.
History of the Limerick
Edward Lear, an artist known for his zany poetry and prose, popularized this form of poetry with A Book of Nonsense, a collection of original Limerick poems published in 1842. Since its publication, there have been numerous variations of this type of poetry. For example, many nursery rhymes are considered to be variations of Limerick poems, most notably, “Hickory Dickory Dock.”
“Hickory, Dickory, Dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, Hickory Dickory Dock.”
Optimist Limericks
In order to commemorate Poetry at Work Day, a few Optimists bravely stepped up to share their original, creative and uproarious Limerick poetry.
Cameron Geer
Cameron Geer, Business Development Strategist, travel enthusiast, and local Atlantan shared her ode (Limerick) to the city of Atlanta.
Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta
The city of Outkast-as
we run the town
sun up to sundown
Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta
Casey Dawson
Casey Dawson, Content Associate, and lover of English Literature shared her hilarious and relatable Limerick about the “cyberchondria” that comes with the information presented by “Doctor Google:”
I might have liver disease.
Thought that I just had a sneeze!
But I looked on the web,
Says I’m already dead–
Or that I’m allergic to bees.
Ivey Barr
Ivey Barr, WordPress Developer, and musically-inclined storyteller shared her Limerick, which highlights with hilarity the problem-solving skills of Development & Design!
If you ever encounter a mystery
And a website is serving you witchery,
Call on Dev & Design,
And within record time,
Your issue will be ancient history!
Flynn Zaiger
Flynn Zaiger, Entrepreneur and CEO of Online Optimism shared his comedic take on the Limerick Icebreaker in the form of a Limerick, which was greatly appreciated by all of the Optimists, as evident by the wave of snapping fingers that were flooding our computer screens:
There’s Optimists in NOLA, ATL, and DC,
who are spending their lunch listening to me.
They say my limerick is first-rate,
Even though it’s not great,
cause heck, they’re not sitting here for free.
Poetry at Work Day is an excellent way to spread positivity in the workplace. It allows employees to showcase their silly side and creative writing abilities to their coworkers. If you are in need of a way to boost company morale, we highly recommend celebrating Poetry at Work Day! Let us know if you have ever celebrated Poetry at Work Day and what the experience was like for you.