Creative Imagination

Nursery Crimes

Exercise: Time to channel your inner second-grader! When making up inappropriate parody lyrics, the more innocent and/or revered the source material, the better. And what’s more innocent and revered than nursery rhymes? Put your provocative stamp on these childhood favorites by rewriting the second line (or more if you care to) with a decidedly adult perspective. “Adult” can mean many things, from bawdy bedroom talk to exploring the dark shadows of adult-onset existentialism. Regardless of the inappropriate spin you choose, do your best to match the rhythm or rhyme of the original ditty.

Here are two first lines to extend:

• "Twinkle, twinkle, little star…."

• "Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock…."

Why: Subverting expectations demands creativity as you use our imagination to break free from established tropes and templates. In this case, you must cognitively stretch to jam something inappropriate into a beloved, quaint, and sing-songy receptacle. At the same time, you’re working to create something original within the constraints of established rhyme and meter, which challenges your listening and language skills.

Examples:

• Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, the people behind could see nothing at all

• Hush little baby, don't say a word, other people live in this goddamn apartment building.

Nursery Crimes

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