[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