Today is World Laughter Day; and while it does seem so very tough to even smile with all the grim news everywhere, it is hard to deny that laughter has its advantages. Especially as we all continue to be in quarantine or lockdown or isolation or any other stage of social distancing mode. This news article for World Laughter Day talks about how laughter is the best medicine; and I also read this other article that, like the title suggested, left me feeling a little lighter.
Poetic Sundays: Laughter is the Best Medicine
The Clerihew Poetic Form
Wanted to talk about a form that can be used to write humorous verse or verse that can make one smile, considering today is World Laughter Day. So I wanted to share (once again) the Clerihew.
What is the Clerihew Poetic Form?
A clerihew is a poetic form of four lines, biographical, nonsensical, with no specific line length and an AABB rhyming scheme. The first line includes the name of a famous person who the poem is about.
The Clerihew’s Characteristics
So the clerihew’s elements are that it is:
- a single quatrain (or stanza of four lines)
- rhymed: rhyme scheme of AABB
- biographical, and pokes fun of people, usually someone famous or popular [not abusive or derogatory, but simply in a humorous way]
- a poem whose first line consists of just the subject’s name; and whose four lines are of irregular length and meter for comic effect
My Examples (from my previous post)
Robert Louis Stevenson, at the grand old age of forty-one, decided didn’t need a birthday, and simply gifted it away!
-Vidya @ LadyInReadWrites
Paul Bunyan the Lumberjack, created the Grand Canyon and the Hills, Black. When he was but a baby bloke, he clapped all the windows broke!
-Vidya @ LadyInReadWrites
h/t: Wikipedia
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- Poetic Journey From Alliteration to Zeugma
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- You Can Never Tell the Many Ways You Matter
- The ‘X’ Poet and Something eXtra -Ordinary?!
- Word Play and its Wonders
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On the Home Front
We finally clicked the button and made the choice; it was tough deciding between the final four we had narrowed down our list to (including a couple of the UCs – University of California options). But it is now decided, and our older one is headed to college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall to major in Electrical Engineering.
Here is a mashup of songs he played on the piano simply to accompany his college news to friends and family. Note that a couple of the songs are from movies in the Tamil language (but isn’t music universal?) And feel free to let me know if you figured out the songs he played in the comments!
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On My Blog and Home Front
The UBC is the next challenge; and I am hoping to take things a little more easier this month though I hope to post everyday.
This Week’s Celebrations
The Literary and Close-to-it Celebrations
- The Birthdays: May 4th celebrates Robin Cook’s birthday; Orson Welles’ birthday on May 6th; poet Robert Browning on May 7th; J. M. Barrie on May 9th; May 9th birthdays also include those of poets Charles Simic and Joy Harjo (both of these poets are recent discoveries for me, as a result of my Poetic Potpourri!)
- Not sure if literary fully, but May 5th is National Cartoonists Day
- And May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day
- [Update] It is Children’s Book Week May 3 – 9 !!! So I will be sharing a few books either here or on IG..Check out events and resources on the Every Child a Reader website here.
The Foodie Celebrations
- May 3rd is National Chocolate Custard Day and National Raspberry Pop Over Day
- And the 4th of May is National Orange Juice Day and National Candied Orange Peel Day
- May 5th being Cinco de Mayo is National Totally Chipotle Day
- The 6th of May is National Crepe Suzette Day
- May 8th brings another cool item to enjoy with National Coconut Cream Pie Day
- And top off the dessert-ness with National Butterscotch Brownie Day on May 9th!
The Other Celebrations
- May 3rd apparently is National Two Different Colored Shoes Day (while I am not entirely sure if both ‘two’ and ‘different’ were needed, it is something that is kind of fun anyways!)
- And May the 4th Be With You on National Star Wars Day
- African World Heritage Day is celebrated on the 5th of May each year
- While World Red Cross Day is on May 8th
- May 9th is of course Mother’s Day here in the US (being the second Sunday in May); but it is also another much needed holiday – National Lost Sock Memorial Day
- The first full week of May is National Wildflower Week; so head on out to nearby hiking trails, and take some time out to pause and see those flowers everywhere..
- It is also National Hospital Week in the First Full Week of May; and hats off to all the hospital staff everywhere.
- Take a moment or two to send thanks to teachers this coming week; it is Teacher Appreciation Week
Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings
So dear reader, this was it for this post. As always, appreciate and totally welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions on these scribblings on Sunday! And which of these days in this wonderful week do you plan to celebrate?
Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon
Hey Vidya, I had really good side-clutching laughter today, and it felt so good. Yes, indeed, laughter is good medicine. Did you know that this concept came from the Bible? It’s a proverb from King Solomon.
Congratulations on having made the decision. My daughter has just been home for a week from university, so far it seems to be going well for her.
Wishing you a great reading week, and laughter!
I can’t tell you how much I love this post! Laughter is by far the best medicine is SO important after the last 14 months we’ve had. Thank you – I needed this today!
Interesting read, I’ve never heard about clerihew till now. Laughter is always important even more so now.
Laughter really is the best medicine. Thanks for sharing.
I missed Works Laughter Day but I love checking the different national days. We all need to have fun and laughter in our lives everyday. Laughter is the best medicine, just ask Lia! 🤣
Laughter truly is the best medicine. Wishing you a great week!
You are absolutely right…laughter helps. And we have been missing laughter lately, and that’s what I am going to seek out today. Maybe all week. I just finished Parnassus on Wheels and found it full of light, gentle humor. Perfect.
Congratulations to your oldest. That sounds like a beautiful place to go to school, and such a useful degree. What a pianist, too!
I completely forgot about Children’s Book Week. Perhaps I will have a late celebration.
One of the beautiful articles that I’ve read today. Laughter is really the best medicine. I hope that everyone can still give their smile or laugh even on the hardest days of their lives.
This post is so awesome! Laughter is truly the best form of medicine!
I love your Sunday Scriblings and agree that laughter is the best medicine!
Vidya, I learned so much from you post. First, I agree laughter is infectious and helps with longevity! I’m such a fan of all the “holidays” Sunday Scribblings is a super cute idea! P.S We are all in this together, you can do it with the daily posts, keep em’ coming!
Out of simple things, we should laugh. It makes living lighter amidst trials. Poem + Laughter= Good combo!
World laughter day is definitely one to be celebrated. Life would be boring without laughter.
We are celebrating Star Wars Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Mother’s Day this week!
I haven’t heard of the Clerihew Poetic Form before. Sounds very interesting! Learn something every day 🙂