Limericks for Polite Company

Limericks for Polite Company is a richly illustrated collection of more than one hundred original poetic compositions. As you dig through this treasure trove of puns, fractured idioms and droll observations of everyday life, your responses may range from soft chuckles to laughing out loud. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to share the contents of this book with your family and friends. Originally published in 2008, this is the second edition of the book. Several new limericks were added, and a few of the originals revised. Erik Pettersen is a former nuclear submarine officer, chemical industry executive and management consultant. As a first generation American, he inherited from his parents a lifelong fascination with the many nuances of the English language. His family and friends will readily attest that he is an incorrigible punster. The first edition of this little book began with a simple exercise in his writers' group. Then it quickly took on a life of its own. During one of its monthly meetings, attendees were each asked to write a limerick. Erik almost instantly recalled any number of bawdy limericks from his youth, few of which he felt comfortable to share since he was in mixed company. But then he had little difficulty writing a wholesome one, which still provoked spontaneous laughter. He left the meeting with the limerick's signature meter continuing to run through his mind. For several weeks thereafter he would awaken early in the morning, mentally compose several more, then rush to his keyboard in an attempt to retain them. When he shared several of these at his next writers' group meeting, one colleague challenged him to write a hundred of them. The first edition was his response to that challenge. Erik is also the author of two biographical books: Semper Fi: The Psalms of Robert Alexander and Leap of Faith: A Trans-Atlantic Wartime Love Story. Formerly residents of Annapolis, Maryland, Erik and his wife Linda now make their home in Fredericksburg Virginia. They have two married children and four grandchildren.