Sunday!

A Reverso Poem is a poem intended to be read top to bottom and then, again, from bottom to top and, in doing, the poem reads completely differently.

Marilyn Singer has written a handful of books that follow this (delightful) conceit. Follow Follow is a book that introduces reversos to us. Mirror Mirror is a book of reversos that deal with various fairy tales. Echo Echo is a book of reversos dealing with Greek Myths.

If you or someone you know loves poetry and wordplay, you owe it to them or to yourself to pick these books up and devour them straightaway.
Here. I’ll give a couple of examples.

Here’s the one called “Birthday Suit” that deals with the Emperor’s New Clothes:

Behold his glorious majesty:
Me.
Who dares say he drained the treasury
on
nothing?
Ha!
This emperor has
Sublime taste in finery!
Only a fool could fail to see.

Now read it the other way.

Only a fool could fail to see.
Sublime taste in finery?
This emperor has-
Ha!-
Nothing
on!
Who dares say he drained the treasury?
Me.
Behold his glorious majesty!

And, just one more, this one is about Hades and Persephone. Well, it’s mostly about Demeter. But it’s about Demeter being about Hades and Persephone.

I hate the thief.
Do not ask that
I forgive Hades.
Spring
will turn to
winter,
will leave this land cold and dark.
Daughter,
this mother’s lonely
tears
shed no
relief.
I feel such
despair.
No more
Flowers blooming, trees in leaf
There will be
six months of grief
after
so much joy and laughter.

Ah, but now read it the other way:

So much joy and laughter
after
six months of grief.
There will be
flowers blooming, trees in leaf.
No more
despair.
I feel such
relief.
Shed no
tears.
This mother’s lonely
daughter
will leave this land, cold and dark.
Winter
will turn to
spring.
I forgive Hades
Do not ask that
I hate the thief.

Isn’t that *AWESOME*?
The books are *FULL* of these wonderful little poems that jump back and forth depending on where you start to read them.

These books are a treat, front to back. You, seriously, need to get your hands on a copy of any or all of them.

So… what are you reading?