When your brain feels like it’s been wrapped in cotton wool, even the simplest thought can feel like a puzzle missing its corner pieces. On those days, logic can take a back seat. Instead, enshroud yourself in a comfort blanket of silliness. That’s where nonsense verse comes in — a place where meaning is optional, laughter is encouraged, and the only rule is that there are no rules. It’s poetry’s way of saying, “Don’t worry about making sense — just enjoy the ride.
What is Nonsense Verse?
If you’ve ever read a poem where the words make you smile before they make sense — or don’t make sense at all — you’ve met nonsense verse. This form of whimsical poetry plays with rhythm, rhyme, and logic, often bending them into shapes that feel entirely new.
While lighthearted on the surface, nonsense verse can be as clever and carefully crafted as any sonnet. It delights in the ridiculous, celebrates the illogical, and gives language permission to misbehave.
A famous example of nonsense verse is Edward Lear’s The Dong with a Luminous Nose. It’s absurd and oddly moving — a tale that manages to be both ridiculous and romantic.
Why We Love Nonsense Verse
In a world obsessed with making sense, nonsense verse offers a rare permission slip to wander. Nonsensical poems remind us that language is more than a conveyor belt for facts — it’s a playground.
When logic takes a tea break, imagination runs the show. You might meet a tortoise drinking tea from a clock-shaped cup, or a bat giving weather forecasts in song. It’s not about reality; it’s about rhythm, sound, and the delightful surprise of what comes next.
The Ingredients of a Great Nonsense Verse
- Absurd scenarios — the kind you might find in any good absurd verse: tea parties for teapots, cats riding bicycles, spoons learning to dance.
- Invented words — gibberish that somehow makes perfect sense in context.
- Playful rhymes — some neat and perfect, others gleefully off-kilter.
- Unexpected twists — endings you never see coming.
How to Write Your Own Nonsense Verse
If you’re wondering what is nonsense verse in the practical sense, here’s how to make one of your own:
- Start with the ordinary — Begin with something so everyday it’s almost invisible: a chair, a biscuit, a rainy day. The charm of nonsense often lies in taking the familiar and nudging it somewhere unexpected. The more mundane your starting point, the bigger the surprise when it transforms into something delightfully peculiar.
- Twist it — Now comes the fun part. Make the chair sing opera in Italian, the biscuit drive a double-decker bus, or the rain fall upwards into the clouds. The twist should feel both impossible and perfectly natural in the world of your poem. This is where your imagination gets to break free from the tethers of reality.
- Add sound play — Give your verse a rhythm that dances in the ear. Use rhymes, half-rhymes, or simply words that feel wonderful to say aloud. Think “flibber-flabber” or “twinkle-spinkled.” The sound should be as much a part of the joy as the meaning — and sometimes, more so.
- Break rules on purpose — Grammar, spelling, and logic are optional in nonsense verse. In fact, they’re often better bent, folded, or cheerfully ignored. Swap word order, mash two words together, or let punctuation wander off for a holiday. The rule-breaking should feel intentional, like a wink between poet and reader.
Don’t aim for perfection. Aim for surprise.
Examples from MyMSisMe
If you’d like to explore my own collection of nonsense verse, here are some of my favourites:
- Growing Old Isn’t for Wimps
- Dysesthesia
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- L’hermitte’s Sign
- Pins and Needles
- Hypersensitivity
- Loss of Proprioception
- Chronic Pain
- Fading Vision
- Wahls Protocol
- Sir Snortleplop’s Shoes Left Feet
Note: that most of these poke fun at MS symptoms. That is not to suggest that these are not serious symptoms, it encourages us to see the bright side of life with multiple sclerosis. Remember, I have multiple sclerosis and I live with these symptoms every day. This is part of my coping mechanism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of a nonsense verse?
One classic example is Edward Lear’s The Dong with a Luminous Nose. This poem blends absurd imagery with playful rhythm, making it both memorable and joyfully strange.
Who is famous for nonsense verse?
Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll are the most recognised names. Lear’s limericks and Carroll’s Jabberwocky have shaped the genre for over a century.
Who is the greatest poet of nonsense verse?
Many literary fans crown Edward Lear as the greatest for his wit, inventiveness, and mastery of rhythm. His verses balance absurdity with an unexpected emotional depth.
What is a five line nonsense verse called?
That’s usually a limerick — a short poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, perfect for delivering absurd ideas in a compact, musical form.
Closing Reflection
Nonsense verse is more than silliness — it’s a celebration of the playful side of language. It invites us to loosen the laces of logic, to hear words for their sound and feel rather than their meaning. And in doing so, it offers something surprisingly rare: unfiltered joy.
Whether you’re reading Lear’s luminous Dong, crafting your own whimsical poetry, exploring absurd verse, or penning a limerick about a moonlit marmalade sandwich, nonsense verse proves that poetry doesn’t always have to make sense to make meaning.
