Limericks of the Undead

image by Jennie Breeden
By Rachel Swirsky

i.

Gwennie the good-hearted ghoul
did her best to avoid being cruel.
She offered to mate
with the men that she ate
and then let them drown in their drool.

ii.

Nanette the near-sighted ghost
was frequently witnessed to boast
that her spectral sneer
froze mortals with fear.
In fact, she was haunting a post.

iii.

Maureen the malingering mummy
felt aches in her kidneys and tummy.
"I feel pale and drawn,
but my organs are gone!
So why do I still feel so crummy?"

Said her doctor: "In matters of health,
the issue's not absence, but wealth.
You've got too much time
to moan, groan and whine.
You're too wrapped up in yourself."


About the Author
Rachel Swirsky is a graduate of Clarion West 2005. Her poetry has appeared in markets including Ideomancer, Abyss & Apex, and Sybil's Garage. She wrote these poems a few days after Halloween in 2006, as she was teaching the students in her creative writing class how to write form poetry.




Illustration by Jennie Breeden 


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