Some lines linger longer than others — especially those stitched with laughter and wordplay. The Limacros, with its compact design and surprise ending, gives us just four lines to leave a lasting impression. April 14th celebrates International Moment of Laughter Day, and , on the day that celebrates moments and lines of laughter.

Welcome to today’s A-to-Z adventure! Each post this April includes a poetry-themed lesson plan and a poem written in response to the NaPoWriMo prompt of the day. And maybe, you’ll also find a little something extra—because learning and creativity love surprises!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. I only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself

Gotta Love the Limacros!

I discovered this invented form a while ago and saw its potential in so many creative ways—so here it is: the Limacros!

(source and h/t for the limacros)

🎯 Lesson Objective
Students will write Limacros poems using a two-word acrostic format in limerick-style rhythm, combining structure with creativity.

🔗 Connections

• 🧠 Learning: Students explore syllables, acrostics, rhyme and rhythm, and wordplay, practicing both reading and writing fluency.
• 🎭 Poetry: Limacros blend two forms—acrostics and limericks—introducing students to poetic structure in a playful, accessible way that challenges them
• 📚 Books: Tie in with books that play with limericks and acrostics like
  • There Once Was a Very Odd School by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Tamara Petrosino 
  • There Once Was a Limerick Anthology
  • Bow-Tie Pasta: Acrostic Poems by Brian Cleary

🎨 Let’s Get Poetic!

1. What’s a Limacros, Anyway?

You might know a limerick—a short, funny poem with a bouncy rhythm. You might know an acrostic—a poem where the first letters of each line spell a word or phrase.

But what if we mix them together? We get a Limacros!

A Limacros is a mix of both the limerick and the acrostic, and thus the name is a portmanteau. Additionally, it is a two-word acrostic:

• It uses the first letters of each line to spell out a two-word phrase (that’s the acrostic part)
• It has the rhythm of a limerick (the beat goes: 9-9-6-6-9 syllables).
• It can rhyme like a limerick, but rhyming is optional!

There are a few fun ways to write a Limacros:

Option 1: One stanza (5 lines)

a) Use a short two-word phrase (like “my dog” or “at sea”)—one letter for each line.

My Dog
My mutt – he has a nose like a pro,
You blink! You miss! He’s ready to go!
Digs holes in the garden,
Our home, he’s not guardin!
Guessing is hard ‘bout where next he’ll show!
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites
(Acrostic: M-Y-D-O-G | Syllable pattern: 9-9-6-6-9 | Limerick-style rhythm & rhyme)

OR

b) Even though Limacros are usually two-word acrostics, you can simplify the form further by using just a single five-letter word (like ‘heart’ or ‘storm’)—perfect for younger students or beginners

Night
Not one sound in the dark of the air,
I peek out quietly, with cautious care.
Glowing stars gently gleam,
Holding tight to a dream—
Tiptoeing sweet moonbeams everywhere.
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Option 2: Two stanzas (10 lines)

Use a two-word phrase that’s ten letters in total, like “ocean breeze” or “pizza party”—one letter per line across both stanzas.

Example:

Pizza Party

Piping hot cheese on bread! Let’s celebrate!
It’s gooey, and smells oh-so-pretty great!
Zesty yummy sauce flows,
Zooms quickly down our throats—
A feast for which we just couldn’t wait!

People all around dancing with glee,
A slice in each hand, so wild and free.
Running round and around,
Tunes shaking up the ground—
Yep, this is the party place to be!
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites
(Acrostic: P-I-Z-Z-A P-A-R-T-Y | Full limacros with two stanzas!)

📝 Quick Recap: A limacros is a limerick-style acrostic poem that uses the first letters of each line to spell out a two-word phrase (or one word if you’re keeping it simple).

🔤 Let’s Practice and Prep: Limacros Fun

Practice:

• Before starting the poem writing, practice counting syllables in words and phrases, such as student names or popular rhymes.
• Practice writing 9-syllable and 6-syllable lines together as a class or in small groups.

Prepare:

Brainstorm phrases with your class or in small groups. You can use a word bank or let them come up with their own creative two-word phrases. Here are some fun ideas:

River Stone / Ocean Breeze / Storm Cloud /Grass Field / Flame Torch /Apple Snack /  Magic Wand / Pizza Party/ Space Ships /Throw Catch / Climb Rope /Dance Floor / Chase Dream / Build House /Miles Apart /Heart Break /Smile Bright

✍️ Write Your Limacros!

Students will draft their own Limacros using a two-word phrase they love – either one they choose themselves or one from the class word bank. Remind them to follow the syllable pattern (9-9-6-6-9) and they can choose to use the limerick rhyme pattern or not.

🎉 Spotlight & Share!

Have students share their poems by reading out loud with the class or in small groups. See if others can guess the two-word phrase based on the acrostic. Celebrate creativity and clever wordplay!

🛠️ Mix It Up! (Adaptations & Extensions)

Adaptations

• For younger grades (K–2), you could work together to build one Limacros as a class, or focus on the single-word limacros. You could also illustrate the poem as a group.
• For older grades (6–8), challenge students to include internal rhyme or alliteration, and/or create a Limacros anthology with different themes: nature, friendship, fantasy, animals.

Extension Ideas

• 🖼️ Acrostic Wall Art: Create illustrated versions of Limacros with bolded acrostic letters.
• 🔄 Poetry Swap: Trade two-word phrases and write a poem using someone else’s phrase.
• Have everyone use the same phrase and see how the same two words can create so many different results!

Why This Rocks

Limacros are a fun way to sneak in poetic structure, syllable practice, and creative expression—all in one form. Whether your students are new to poetry or budding poets, this mash-up format gives them room to play and grow.

Living it Up on the Leaf

Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt asks us to take inspiration from Kay Ryan’s Crustacean Island (which invites us to imagine the “music” of a place without people in it), and write our own poem that describes a place, particularly in terms of the animals, plants or other natural phenomena there. We should sink into the sound of our location, and use a conversational tone, and also try to incorporate slant rhymes (near or off-rhymes, like “angle” and “flamenco”) into our poem. And for an extra challenge – no reference to birds or birdsong!

I also took inspiration from a painting in today’s featured resource – the online gallery of the Rijksmuseum, and it is:

• Ladybug, caterpillar, woodlouse and two beetles by Jan Augustin van der Goes, 1690 – 1700 (public domain)

Laughter Lurks Here?

Plink… drip… plink, a soft harmony 
Of dew drops falling, so quietly free.
A ray of sun sparkled in,
and dew droplets hissed up in steam.
As morning warmth settled in,
The leafy world sighed out a creak.
Listen close, for that whisk-whisk, thud, whisk-whisk, thud
Is the caterpillar’s slow parade,
Its fuzzy feet treading light, with a movement so chic
The beetles soon joined with a click, click, click, and chirp 
While ladybug rustled up her wings to hide a burp
The pillbug woke up, unrolled with a scrape here, and a tap there
As the leafy world pulsed with a hum, so faint, you can hardly hear..
Soon dawn turned to midday and dusk was not far
Lap… lap… swish… lap… lap… swish…, flowed, from nature’s bar! 
But one thing I missed in this leafy world here 
Was the sound of laughter, sweet and clear.
Perhaps, laughter, it lurks near,
waiting for a heart to hear.

~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, why not attempt to write a limacros poem? I’d love to see what you come up with! And out of all the books mentioned today— which one are you most excited to check out first?

I am linking up to A-Z, Blogchatter, UBC, NaPoWriMo.

And you can find all my A-Z posts (this year and previous years’ as well) here:

A to Z Challenge Posts