Limerick writing tips and tricks
The morning is wiser than the evening
Limericks and Science Fiction are two classic genres that don’t really get enough interplay. But this narrow patch of overlap is fertile ground indeed. Few things can capture the imagination like a great science fiction film or novel. And when my imagination gets captured, I start writing limericks.
For me it all began with the original Star Wars: A New Hope. The 1970s were a strange time, New Age ideologies were everywhere, and Star Wars provided my generation with the fresh mythology we so desperately needed.
Skywalker’s quest strikes a resonant chord for so many of us, and the archetypal dimensions run deep. My whole reading of the story is as a metaphor for the inner drama of the human condition. The cast of characters, as they argue in the cockpit, represent the several archetypes vying for control within the individual psyche, competing to steer the ego this way or that. As the personalities learn to cooperate and validate one another, the Self achieves a unified wholeness.
Star Wars Limericks
Luke Skywalker
There’s a hopeful young Jedi in training
To Yoda he’s always complaining
Just show me the force!
But Yoda, of course
Says, “Tired am I of explaining”
The Divided Psyche
Like the Millennium Falcon, a ship on the wing
A crew full of archetypes with something to bring
The wise man, the Wookiee
The loner, the rookie
And who, might I ask, is controlling this thing?
One of my favorite scenes from the original film takes place in the Death Star when our heroes go diving into the trash compactor. Here again, we have a captivating metaphor for another kind of personal crisis and process of self discovery. It’s an alchemical process, after all, turning trash into treasure, and this is their very first adventure with the rescued princess.
The Trash Compactor
Finding themselves in a trash crushing crucible
Fear and anxiety now seem excusable
No one can hide
From the pressure inside
As the challenge of garbage remains irreducible
Beam me up, Scotty
I always enjoyed the old classic Star Trek episodes as well, though I was never what you’d call a Trekkie. But as I got into German Philosophy, I started to recognize the duality of energies personified in Dr. Spock and Dr. Bones, with Captain Kirk occupying the prudent middle ground. I’m especially reminded of the Apollonic and Dyonisian energies that Nietzsche talks about in The Birth of Tragedy.
Nietzschean Dualism on the Starship Enterprise
Dionysus ’n’ Apollo on a star fleet mission
Dr. Bones with his passions and Spock with precision
While known for his talents
The captain keeps balance
And that’s why he’s trusted with every decision
God bless you, Mr. Vonnegut
I’m not the first writer with science fiction heroes. Even Kurt Vonnegut found a way to immortalize one of his author idols, Theodore Sturgeon, in the form of his elusively recurring character, Kilgore Trout.
Theodore Sturgeon
There’s a character figure they call Kilgore Trout
Remembered in fiction beyond any doubt
This writer from Ilium
Exposed to Berylium
His Kurteous colleague would call the fish out
But after all these limericks and science fiction scenarios, any writer will find the need to create his own story set in space. Here’s once of mine.
Mars Attacks
Mr. Martian stepped out of his cosmic two-seater
Joined by his wife, for he hoped to entreat her
Unsure what to think
I said, “How ‘bout a drink?”
“Why yes,” he replied, “take me straight to your liter!”
Further Reading
If you liked these limericks about science fiction, please consider sharing the link and joining our mailing list. You might might also enjoy some of these collections:
- Better Living with Star Wars
- Limericks about Mathematics
- Limericks about Scientific Materialism
- Limericks about American Literature
- What is a limerick?
