A Dental Limerick and Haiku

I finally have a moment to sit down today and write a little blog entry in response to one of the many meme (writing prompt) sites I've been searching through. I found this one at madkane.com, and it seems pretty fun -- write both a limerick and a haiku on a given prompt. The last prompt (it hasn't been updated in a month or two) dictates a dental theme, so I'm going to give this a shot. First, the limerick:

Once when I wanted for money
I mistook for a dentist a dummy
He made my grin wider
But left my incisors
And now I just look like a bunny.

And now, the haiku:

I slowly drift off
Calm and peaceful, dreaming deep
Then he starts the drill.

Woo hoo! I did it. That was my first writing exercise, and I actually quite enjoyed it. I had to let the idea simmer for an hour or two, keeping it in the back of my mind as I went about my daily routine. The haiku was actually easy for me to write (though whether it's actually any good is arguable); the limerick was significantly tougher. With the haiku, I see how it's possible to tell a minimalist, seventeen-syllable story (Red Wheelbarrow style -- anyone know why this poem is so damn famous?). The limerick requires you to be much wittier while still sticking to a set form and, on top of that, a strict rhyme scheme (AABBA).

Perhaps the trick is knowing what you're going to say before you start writing the rhymes, rather than simply writing in an attempt to rhyme. In my limited experience composing songs and poems, I've found that it is much easier to bend your words to fit the idea than it is to modify the idea for the sake of a clever rhyme. In fact, it doesn't have to be a perfect rhyme -- near rhymes work just as well, in many cases.

I'd love to hear your opinion on my first official writing exercise - I welcome any comments, good or bad.