July/Aug 2014 Limerick Laughs Winner and Runners-Up


cow stepping on picnic lunch while mother and baby run away


The cow that jumped over the moon
Crashed our picnic today at noon!
We’re in udder despair;
We’re missing a pair
’Cause the dish ran away with the spoon!

—Katharine Wallace, Florence, Alabama

Congratulations to Katharine Wallace! For her limerick describing J.C. Leyendecker’s illustration Cow Joins the Picnic (above), Katharine wins $25 — and our gratitude for a job well done. If you’d like to enter the Limerick Laughs Contest for our upcoming issue, submit your limerick via our online entry form.

Of course, Katharine’s limerick wasn’t the only one we liked! Here are some of our favorite limericks from our runners-up, in no particular order:

Hey! Why are you running away?
I only came over to play.
And this prob’ly sounds rude,
But could I have some food?
I do get quite tired of hay.

—Margie Eisenhower, Rancho Cordova, California

There once was a cow named Louise,
Who wandered around in the breeze.
She spotted a bunch
Who were eating lunch,
And chased them away with a sneeze.

—Peter Bosse, Millis, Massachusetts

The next time I wish on a star
I’ll be careful just what my words are.
Because I love steak,
I made a mistake,
And forgot to say grilled in a bar.

—Ross Simpson, Wickenburg, Arizona

Now this scene may look bad at first glance,
All those people scared out of their pants.
But I’ve got a hunch
At that nice picnic lunch
That cow also squashed all the ants.

—Paul Troglia, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

They had eaten so much ’twas a sin.
So they sliced their dessert cake quite thin.
But they never did eat
Cause they all had to beat it
When a guest, uninvited, horned in.

—John Peacock, West Dundee, Illinois

The farmer forgot to milk Daisy,
Partaking a chance to be lazy.
Their picnic got messed
As she crashed through their nest,
Since milk weight was driving her crazy!

—Doreen Graham, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

There once was a family named Dunn,
A picnic, they thought,
would be fun.
But Bossy showed up
uninvited to sup,
How fast that made Mama Dunn run!

—Dianne Boylan, Lowell, Indiana

There once was a friendly bovine
Who thought eating out was divine.
She’s loving the picnic.
The cake is terrific.
And eating alone is just fine.

—Cindy Nutter, Coon Rapids, Minnesota

A cow with a hoof in our pie,
Was complaining quite loudly, “Oh, my!
“The herd’s due for tea,
“Grass-cookies at three,
“But your picnic is covering the rye!”

—Caralou Strahley, Paulding, Ohio

There was a young heifer named Rhonda
Who, into a picnic, did wanda
Then she thought in surprise,
As folks ran for their lives,
“What a pity they couldn’t stay longa.”

—Michelle Gordon, Airway Heights, Washington