11 Nimble Limericks about Nature

When I’m not writing, and sometimes when I am, there’s no place I’d rather be than wandering through the mountains among the fields and forests, taking in the sights, sounds and scents of nature’s untainted glory. It’s an essential means to check in with the web of life and remember that deep connection we have with something more vivid than our digital devices.

     May the forest be with you 
     Raised in the valleys and fed by the seas
     Borne on the breeze with the birds and the bees
               Gifted with birth
               From the womb of the earth
     My origins are not unlike those of the trees 

     Deep in the Woods
     Meet with the faeries whose flowers are planted
     Look to the treetops where sunlight is slanted 
               A waterfall rumbles
               A mountain god mumbles
     The forest I frequent is truly enchanted

     Tune in to Receive
     Time out and measure the many sensations
     Breathe in the forest with deep inhalations
               Notice the features
               The sounds and the creatures
     And slowly tune in to the subtle vibrations

Amusing limericks about nature

It’s easy to get so caught up in limericks that I start taking them too seriously. With that in mind, I took some time to get back to the natural tenor of the limerick, which is necessarily whimsical and irreverent.

     Chicken Egg Controversy
     There’s a story in which the T. Rex was involved
     It’s out of this beast that our chickens evolved
               Descended from creatures
               One hatched with new features
     So now the old riddle has finally been solved

     The Secret Life of Swans
     The swan is a bird who’s unhappy alone
     They stick to each other like moss on a stone
               The cob and his wife
               Get married for life
     But divorce rates among them are not fully known

     Blind as a Bat
     There’s a bat who flew off on vacation
     And sought out the best destination
               With criterion single
               He echoed his signal
     Location location location

     Vacuums
     There’s rumors of nature abhorring a vacuum
     Deny if you’d rather but no one will back you
               I’m also averse
               As I know nothing worse
     And I only mop floors when I have to

Nature’s Own Devices

Sometimes I get so swept away in the pageantry of nature’s own internal order and disorder, that I lose track of my poetic meter and allow a limerick to fall out of step.

     Songs in the Wood
     Cacophony of crickets on a spring afternoon
     Wildflowers waving and humming a tune
               When what do I hear
               But a song in my ear
     My good friend the magpie is joining me soon

Where the Wild Things Grow

A workshop I attended one summer in the Spanish Pyrenees carefully illustrated the teachings of one Masanobu Fukuoka. The Japanese farmer and philosopher has written and lectured extensively on a technique known popularly as “natural farming” or “do nothing farming”. The basic idea is to allow natural selection to run its course, so that weeds and local vegetation grow in harmony with cultivated crops. In this sense, the soils and habitat determine which plants will grow where, instead of forcing an unnatural, manmade order upon the land.

     Fun With Fukuoka
     The state of the planet is truly alarming
     Conventional methods are hurting and harming
               Find a solution 
               And fight the pollution 
     Grow closer to Gaia with natural farming

A Season for Everything

After spending the preponderance of my life in coastal California, living in the mountains of Europe has provided me with a profound appreciation for the cycles and rhythms of the seasons. The recurring order of birth, life, death and rebirth has so many spiritual lessons to offer us, from examples you might never see in the perpetual springtime of southern California.

     Early Powder 
     The season’s first weather will leave an impression
     In Father Sky’s favorite form of expression
               By leaving light traces
               On high mountain faces
     With fairy dust sprinkled at Odin’s discretion 

     Magic Mountain
     Sierra Cadí is the goddess I know
     Her omnipotent face often capped with white snow
               And yet from my home
               No view to be shown
     We must wonder and wander to witness her glow

Further Reading

If you liked these limericks about nature, feel free to chime in in the comments sections. You might also enjoy:

• Limericks about the Environment
• Limericks about Bamboo
• Limericks about Gardening
• Limericks about Water
• Limericks about Life Sciences
• Limericks about Seasons, Stars and Planets
• Limericks about Love
• What is a Limerick?