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 into 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 (Nueva York, EE UU, 1920 - Saint Louis, 1991). Docente en varias universidades de EE UU. Poeta, novelista y crítico. Premio Nacional del Libro, premio Pulitzer y premio Bollingen. Poeta laureado por la Biblioteca del Congreso 1963-1964 y 1988-1990