Some critics have unfairly castigated Snyder for choosing to recite limericks, almost exclusively, at his early performances. Not having a large body of work to draw on, Snyder had little choice. Limericks are short, the form is easy to master, and—with his keen wit and outsider’s perspective—Snyder could compose them on the fly in response to his audience.

Limericks have traditionally been used for light, humorous—often bawdy—verse. While Edward Lear will always remain the greatest limericist of all, Snyder will undoubtedly be recognized as a significant practitioner of the form.

Two of the limericks Snyder recited in his Market performances are reproduced below. There are many more in the book.

There once was a pig from Duvall,
Who, when young, was really quite small.
He was fed from a flask,
But he took on the task
Of a poet who stands very tall.

There once was a girl named Olivia,
Whose heart was as strong as her tibia.
The rules she had bended—
A pig she befriended—
And that, I believe, is not trivia.