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[[Category:<Doggerel>]] [[Category:<Moleanders>]]

The MOLEANDER is a form for doggerel poetry that originates on the Moletrap forum. It resembles the Clerihew, from which it was devised and like the clerihew always has a person as its subject. On internet forums the subject's username is employed.

Rules:
(a) Four lines
(b) First line consists only of the NAME of the victim and an ANAGRAM thereof, with one or two other words.

Only punctuation is allowed in the anagram - i.e. no interpolated extra words or letters. By convention the name and its anagram are capitalised (though capitalization of the anagram only is common.

Angus is in ANGUiSh - not acceptable

Angus is missing his GUANS - acceptable

(c) Rhyme AABB
(d) Rhythm generally anapaestic

The second and third lines may be longer or shorter than the first two for comic effect.

(e) Moleanders always insult the subject in a humorous way.

Example (of a poster with a religious fixation)

SILVER SWORD the WORLD’S REV IS
Tried to make us over in his
Image but it didn’t take. Couldn’t shake
Our evil habits. Anyway we thought him fake.

The challenge of devising anagrams has led to variant forms of the moleander in which more than one line terminates with an anagram of the name. The record is an octuple moleander - two four line verses in which all lines terminate with anagrams.