A Primer of the Daily Round
A peels an apple, while B kneels to God,
C telephones to D, who has a hand
On E’s knee, F coughs, G turns up the sod
For H’s grave, I do not understand
But J is bringing one clay pigeon down
While K brings down a nightstick on L’s head,
And M takes mustard, N drives to town,
O goes to bed with P, and Q drops dead,
R lies to S, but happens to be heard
By T, who tells U not to fire V
For having to give W the word
That X is now deceiving Y with Z,
Who happens, just now to remember A
Peeling an apple somewhere far away.
Howard Nemerov's "A Primer
of the Daily Round"
Linda Sue Grimes more
Howard Nemerov's "A Primer
of the Daily Round" uses the alphabet to make a generalized statement
about what might be happening in the world of humanity in any given time frame.
The speaker personifies each letter of the alphabet, giving each human
qualities and the capability to act. All of the activities are ones that people
actually do, in fact, perform in the daily round.
"A Primer of the Daily
Round" is an English sonnet, also known as Shakespearean or Elizabethen,
with the traditional form of three quatrains and a couplet, with the rime
scheme, ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
(Please note: The spelling,
"rhyme," was introduced into English by Dr. Samuel Johnson through an
etymological error. For my explanation for using only the original form, please
see "Rime vs Rhyme: An Unfortunate Error.")