Styles and Techniques: Clerihew

The clerihew is a lesser-known style of comic poem that has the four following properties. One, it is biographical and usually quirky. It shows the topical person in a unique and unusual view. clerihews often "poke fun" at famous people. Two, it consists of four lines of unequal length (for humorous effect). The third and fourth lines are typically longer than the first two. Three, the rhyming scheme is always A-A-B-B. And four, last but not least, the first line consists solely, or almost solely, of the subject person's name.

Clerihews are not mocking or abusive, but they often target well-known individuals and reposition them in an absurd or humdrum setting, often portraying them using over-simplified and jumbled wording.

Clerihew

Edmund Clerihew Bentley

(a Londoner, incidentally),

Made his living by just having fun

Writing silly poems like this one

I wrote the above poem about the creator of the first clerihew, Edmund Clerihew Bentley.

Clerihews are quick and easy to write, and they can provide you with a few minutes of entertainment when you are bored and have nothing to do. Whether you are reading them or writing them, clerihews are a fun style of poetry that can put a smile on almost anyone's face.

~ Adam B.