Structure, Other Requirement

Any poem having words or stanzas beginning with successive letters of the alphabet. The most common examples are seen as didactic poetry for juveniles of the "A is for Apple" variety, but a skilled poet can create a much more demanding and adult work while pursuing the strictures of this form.

An author of imagination might playfully use the phonetic values of other alphabets, such as the Greek or Kyrillic.

No specific schema.

Other than its use in didactic poetry for children, this sort of poem is mainly a plaything, an exercise in mental gymnastics.

The two biggest difficulties are the sequential nature and use of the letter X. It can be very difficult, especially when using sequential words to create coherent poetry. Using sentences, lines, or stanzas as the sequential basis tends to be much easier.

In most alphabets, the letter A would be a good starting point. On the other hand, and in keeping with the general theory of starting points in this book, one might try starting with sensible and appropriate words for the most difficult letters, such as X.

Didactic, Primer Couplet, Reverse Abecedarium

Complete