Poetry [ongoing]

pain vs. hope (reverso)

[I have been fascinated with this type of poem for a long time, and I've always wanted to write one. A reverso is a poem where the lines can be read from top to bottom or from bottom to top, changing the meaning of the poem. For the sake of readability, I'll put both the top-to-bottom version and the bottom-to-top version in this chapter, but you'll see that the lines themselves are identical. Some of my favorite examples are from Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer, which is a compilation of fairy-tale-themed reversos. 

March 4, 2022]

pain vs. hope

nothing will ever change

so I can't keep believing that

it will get better with time

and

my wounds will heal

because I've seen firsthand, it's not true.

the world is a terrible place

and it's foolish to believe

otherwise.

I have to tell myself

nothing matters

because it would mean that

I don't have to care

it's not true that

nothing lasts forever

because

I know

pain

is stronger than

hope

Now read the lines in the opposite order: 

hope

is stronger than

pain

I know

because

nothing lasts forever

it's not true that

I don't have to care

because it would mean that

nothing matters.

I have to tell myself

otherwise.

and it's foolish to believe

the world is a terrible place

because I've seen firsthand, it's not true.

my wounds will heal

and

it will get better with time

so I can't keep believing that

nothing will ever change