Crazy Limericks

I came across an old book that I purchased more than a decade ago hidden in between stacks of old magazines. It was a book about limericks, written by Janet Rogers entitled Crazy Limericks. Limericks are five-lined poems that are written in the same way. It must have five lines, and there must be two rhymes. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and forth lines must rhyme. It is not known where limericks originated from, but it is generally believed that the name comes from an old Irish folk song "Will You Come Up to Limerick". Although limericks can be in a simple form, some can be challenging. I found a few tongue-twisting limericks from this book that I find tricky, that I would like to share with you.

A fly and a flea in a flue

Were imprisoned, so what could they do?

Said the fly,'Let us flee!'

'Let us fly!' said the flea,

So they flew through a flaw in the flue!

A canner, exceedingly canny,

One morning remarked to his granny,

'A canner can can

Anything that he can;

But a canner can't can a can, can he?

A certain young fellow named Beebee

Wished to wed with a lady named Phobe.

'But', he said, 'I must see

What the clerical fee

Be before Phoebe be Phoebe Beebee.'

A traveller once to his sorrow

Requested a ticket to Morrow.

Said the agent, 'It's plain

That there isn't a train

To Morrow today, but tomorrow!'