Fresh Limericks for a New Creation Myth

The history of language is the history of humanity. It’s what separates us from the worms and the beasts. The philosopher Wittgenstein famously said that without language there is no reality. I might add that without limericks, my understanding of reality would only be a faint shadow of what it is today.

In all likelihood, humans first used language to tell stories. For the first million years, grunts and gesticulations were sufficient to convey the fundamentals. But language allowed for explanations that achieved a whole new level of narrative complexity. And what could be more important than the story of where we come from.

From the Fertile Crescent to the Central Plains, I’ve enjoyed all the myths. But after so many centuries, and so much water under the bridge, these old stories are starting to gather some dust. So I’ve been working on some new myths, some unlikely limericks to animate the story of creation in a new way.

Limericks about cosmology

     Big Bang
     Concerning the question of what happened first
     The popular theory might not be the worst
               Every planet and sun
               In the cosmos were one
     But what caused the singular bubble to burst?

     Speculative Mysticism
     The source of existence deserves to be sought
     It’s something I’ve stewed on and chewed on a lot
               From nothing we sprang
               Like a nebulous bang
     From the great mind of God we appeared like a thought

Cosmic limericks with fresh perspectives

I’ve read the first few chapters of Genesis enough times to sort out the differences between the Bible’s two distinct versions of Creation. And each has its own charms. The stone tablets of the Babylonians provide an another unforgettable myth about the origins of the world. And the Native Americans have some especially provocative accounts.

They’ve all had their time in the spotlight, but the world is overdue for some fresh material. I’m not done yet, but here’s what I’ve come up with so far. The first shows traces of the Tigris and Euphrates. The next three belong together, and have more of an indigenous flavor.

     A New Etiology 
     The Great Spirit’s laughter created the sky
     And oceans were formed by a tear in her eye
               And toiling one day
               With her hands in the clay
     She gave life to humans but doomed them to die

     Perfection Spawns Imperfection
     Immaculate mother alone in her nest
     But one of her eggs it is not like the rest
               Though the spheres are all matching
               The oval is hatching
     And just as the moon disappears in the west

     Another Beginning
     Eagle of ancients with wings open wide
     She springs from her nest from beyond the divide
               While learning to fly right
               She heads for the twilight
     And waits for the darkness and light to collide

     Growing Upward
     Another day dawning a new race emerges
     Clouded by conflict and opposite urges
               On two legs they balance
               And face every challenge
     With head held up high where the spirit converges

Further Reading

If you enjoyed these limericks about the creation of humanity and the cosmos, please consider sharing the post or subscribing to the blog. You might also want to check out some of these popular articles:

• Limericks about Inner Wisdom
• Limericks about Astronomy
• Serious Limericks: There once was an unsmiling rhymer