BBC Radio 3: 3 Breakfast Programme.

[JimL]

Ahem...

The BBC3, I am told
In its programming is far from bold
To our unsung composers
We get only "No, sirs,
Upper echelons the listeners would scold!"

Or somesuch.

[Alan Howe]

Or....

The trouble with Aunty's 'Three B's':
They're Baching up all the wrong trees,
Old Ludwig's plain boring,
Johannes? I'm snoring!
So roll on Raff, Rubi and Ries!!

Boom, boom!! And goodnight - have you seen what time it is...?

[JimL]

Boom, boom?  BOOM, BOOM?!!!!!  What kind of a rim-shot is that?!  Ba-dum, CHING!  Now THAT'S a rim-shot!

[Alan Howe]

This makes more sense - I think...

The trouble with Aunty's 'Three B's':
They're Baching up all the wrong trees,
Old Ludwig's plain boring,
Johannes? I'm snoring!
Brüll, Berwald and Benda? - yes, please!

As for 'boom, boom!' - well you have to have watched the Basil Brush Show to get that one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kQLe6BSb34

[JimL]

'Fraid we don't get that one over here too regularly, Alan!  Looks jolly, though!  Think I'll stick with Primeval and Dr. Who.

[Mark Thomas]

Alan, my dear friend, I never thought that I'd see you writing a post mentioning Basil Brush (link here, but don't say I didn't warn you!) at 1:22 in the wee small hours! Is it all getting too much, do you think?

[Alan Howe]

It's becoming an obsession...

Rachmaninov, Rimsky, Rodrigo,
That PC, those Tales, oh amigo!
Much better by far -
A new threefold R:
Raff, Reinecke, Rub' - off we go!!

[Mark Thomas]

Oh dear, he's at it again
It's wrong to say he's insane
But if he's still writing
when night bugs are biting
Shouldn't Mrs Howe shout out "refrain"?

John, what have you done?

[John H White]

Well,well, what a response to my original message! I think I can say to nearly everyone on this forum, "you're a poet and you don't know it"!
    I do hope at least some of these rhymes will find their way onto the relevant BBC Radio 3 programme at www.bbc.co.uk/3 breakfast (hope I've got that right?).
   However, I've noticed that some these verses, brilliant as they are, don't conform to the strict limerick rhythm. I'm afraid you need to keep your limericks "classical" and not indulge in "romantic" poetic license.

[Gareth Vaughan]

As a former teacher of English and student of linguistics, may I say that modern English usage is very happy with 'rapture' in the singular in the context of Alan's last line, so there is no need to call on poetic licence to justify the rhyme. Indeed, W.S. Gilbert had no problem with using 'rapture' in the singular as a synonym for 'joy' - "Oh Joy! Oh rapture unforeseen!"; HMS Pinafore. The technically imperfect rhyme of 'Rufinatscha' with 'capture' also seems to me to be perfectly acceptable (even, dare I say, rather good) in the form of a limerick, where historical examples show half-rhymes abounding.
I just thought getting Rufinatscha into a limerick was neat and clever, and I enjoyed it. Well done, Alan!

[John H White]

Sorry folks, I got it wrong. The address for your serious limericks (and remember they have to be serious!) is:   
         3breakfast@bbc.co.uk
Good luck!

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, friends, for your kind, nay poetic comments.

I think my hesitation over rapture (singular) was the context - i.e. you send someone into 'raptures', not 'rapture' - it was a usage that my Chambers confirmed.

I've always found the process of writing somewhat obsessional - when you start writing, when do you stop...?

(Don't worry: I've thrown in this particular towel for good!)

[John H White]

I've now sent in my limerick to the BBC together with a somewhat lengthy covering letter and await with interest any repercussions. I included the address of this web site and warned them that they may receive further limericks from other forum members in a similar vein.

[Alan Howe]

Glad you warned me, Mark! Ouch!