extemporanea!

Let me challenge you to try something silly tonight. There's too much seriousness going on in the world. Let loose! Have fun! Write some poetry!

Uh, yeah. Write some poetry. 

No, wait! Come back! Poetry can be fun! Yes, really!

Have you ever tried extemporanea? 

Extemporanea. 

They're basically just rhymes you come up with on the spur of the moment. So far as I know, the word comes from a line in a Dorothy Parker poem. It was probably used before then, but that's the most famous use, I think. Limericks (which have a rhyme scheme of AABBA, with the A lines rhyming and the B lines rhyming) tend to be extemporanea --nobody spends too much time thinking when they write limericks. 

Regardless of what rhyme scheme you use (limerick or otherwise), you get to let loose with rhymes about body functions (or misfunctions), the comedy that is human relationships, ...whatever you want goes, as long as you're having a good time! If you're into puns and wordy wackiness, I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself with extemporanea.

I've included a couple I came up with below to give you an idea of what they sound like. Mine have a ABAAB rhyme scheme:

The Upside of Memory Loss

There are blessings that come from amnesia; 
Sure, you can’t be too overly cautious,
But it provides analgesia
And is Milk of Magnesia
If experience is painfully nauseous.

Now memory can be like a plague,
Like a bad bone that needs some resetting, 
Or a gash on your leg;
Yes, it’s good to be vague,
And there’s blessed relief in forgetting. 

The Upside of Flatulence

Well, romance is really a gas
That won’t be burnt by invisible stink – 
But it’s best if you pass
Your air through an ass
That inspires that romance, I think.

It’s okay to let go of a weeper
In front of a potential mate – 
You’ll know he’s a keeper
When you deliver a sleeper
And he still asks you out on a date. 

See what I mean? These will never be seen in fancy poetry magazines (truth be told, they probably shouldn't be seen on this blog, either, but whatever ...). They're not designed for fancy poetry magazines. They're designed to be mildly outrageous and good for a chuckle.

If you're a writer, I hope you'll set aside a minute or two tonight to try your hand at some light extemporanea. Relax. Have fun. Give it a shot. Why not?

And please share if you try it. I'd love to read what you come up with. There's too much seriousness in the world, like I said. I'd love a laugh.