<P> A limerick is a form of verse, often humorous and sometimes obscene, in five - line, predominantly anapestic meter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme . The following example is a limerick of unknown origin: </P> <P> The limerick packs laughs anatomical Into space that is quite economical . But the good ones I've seen So seldom are clean And the clean ones so seldom are comical . </P>

How long does a limerick have to be