Hi, folks-
Well, that was a toughie to judge, so I had to set the criteria as per how Limericks work,
and as a result, I only had eight finalists.
A couple of entries weren't Limericks at all, several had a letter 'e' in them, and a few really good ones were let down by an uneven syllable count.
My final choice is those that got through the filters, and above all were true to a Limerick in that
after reading the first line, you know what the meter is going to be for the rest of the verse.
So- In first place,
'Always half full', by Sandra Haight-
Smooth flow, easy to read, effortlessly writ, and lovely, warm content. Well done, Sandra.
Second place-
Tony Devers' Limerick-
Once again, easy to pick up the flow, just a soft gentle piece.
Third place-
Jan Allison's Limerick-
I picked this for a couple of reasons, namely it was what I call 'A sevener', with syllable count of '7,7,5,5,7 , which are difficult to do, and also it is in the original true style of a humourous verse. There were many similar in content which would have made it but for syllable count and meter. The sign of a good Limerick is that once you have read the first line, you don't get to the end and have to re-read it and change the rythmn in your head.
Congrats to the other finalists, and the first three I shall be in touch with soon. Thanks to everyone for taking part.
Love 'n hugs, and handshakes and stuff,
Viv x.