March/April 2025 Limerick Laughs Winner and Runners-up

Mrs. Taft, one day, tongue in cheek,
Made a scarecrow with William’s physique.
His face and his clothes
So frightened the crows
They brought back corn stolen last week.

Congratulations to Bob Turvey of Stoke Bishop, Bristol, England, who won $25 for this limerick based on Norman Rockwell’s Post cover Springtime, 1936, which graced the April 25 issue of that year.

If you’d like to enter the Limerick Laughs Contest for our upcoming issue, submit your limerick via our online entry form.

Here are some of our other favorite limericks from this contest, in no particular order:

Our scarecrow was so debonair
He never gave one crow a scare.
We found some attire
No crow would admire
Before our whole field was stripped bare.
—Judith Williams, Grayslake, Illinois

He’s my best creation by far.
He’ll be a new video star,
For who’d click away
from the scratch of the hay
In a scarecrow-themed ASMR?
—Greg Landgraf, Chicago, Illinois

So, what’s with the smile and the rose
Tucked into that hole in my clothes?
If I just had a hand,
She’d soon understand,
I can scare off more creatures than crows.
—Joyce Petrichek, Finleyville, Pennsylvania

There’s one thing I do have to say:
Your concerns you can surely allay.
Your worn-out couture
Is bound to ensure
That you’ll scare lots of crows in some way.
—Rudy Landesman, New York City, New York

“That country club called the Crow Bar
Is down the lane not very far.
If you’re feeling frisky
Let’s go murder some whiskey…
Just remember: don’t light your cigar!”
—Denise Nipps, Peoria, Illinois

A date with a scarecrow is swell,
As long as you don’t mind the smell.
He’s a rough-looking dude,
But he’s never rude,
And he certainly won’t kiss and tell.
—Adam Cook, Crawley, West Sussex, England

When greeting a scarecrow in May,
There’s a right and a wrong thing to say.
If you say “Happy Spring”
You have said the wrong thing,
’Cause a scarecrow prefers only “Hay!”
—Justin O’Connor, Leeds, Massachusetts

You’re a right dapper chap and well-jacked,
Imposing and quite nicely packed.
Right now you’re maintaining,
But wait till it’s raining
And the crows start to see through your act.
—Skip Russell, Venice, Florida

I hoped for a man to entice
Who was virtuous, kindly, and nice,
But reminded again
That there are no such men
A man made of straw will suffice.
—Christian Bullinger, Circleville, Ohio