Reverse poetry is a form of poetry where a poem can be read both from top to bottom and from bottom to top offering different and opposite perspectives of the theme chosen.

 

Here are some simple steps that will help you craft a reverse poem;

 

STEP 1 : Choose your theme

Shortlist a theme that can have two different perspectives or conflicting notions. For example: loneliness-friendship, hate-love, sad- happy. I have chosen despair and hope as the theme for my poem.

 

STEP 2: Arrange your poem

Start writing by choosing the perspective with which you wish to start. Usually it begins with a pessimistic note( depending on the subject chosen) and ends in an optimistic way. Reading the poem in reverse reframes the entire poem.

 

STEP 3: Decide the pivot line

Deciding the pivot line is extremely important. Aim to place the pivot line that shifts the perspective somewhere in the middle of your poem. Using conjunctions like but, though helps to achieve this to some extent.

 

STEP 4 : Check the flow

Once your poem is complete , read it aloud both ways to check the flow. Make edits if necessary. 

 

Here is a reverse poem that I have attempted;

Vicious Waves

Once again the walls around me seem to monstrously scream,

Dirges haunt me and eternal the night seems,

Verklempt, my echoes prod and poke in loops recurring, 

The skeletons from the closet resurface and sting,

In a room full of people I once again feel alone,

Melodies turn into dirges that mourn,

In silence I struggle playing events that I always wished to forget,

Ghosts from the past scare me, though my life I wish to reset,

I helplessly wallow in a murky hellhole and reach out with pain,

However, my pleas several fall on deaf ears in vain,

A hazy beam of light appears at last,

Across the tunnel that seems dangerously vast,

Harboring doubts I amble slowly tethering to pulsating rays of hope,

I scale with difficulty along obstacles appearing as precarious slopes,

As the hands of the clock move disturbingly slow,

Whispered chants help me shun the shadows,

With self love I lead my life with a renewed quest,

Setting aside my past, a vivid future I learn to manifest.

***

 

The poem when read from bottom to top ;

 

Setting aside my past, a vivid future I learn to manifest.

With self love I lead my life with a renewed quest,

Whispered chants help me shun the shadows,

As the hands of the clock move disturbingly slow,

I scale with difficulty along obstacles appearing as precarious slopes,

Harboring doubts I amble slowly tethering to pulsating rays of hope,

Across the tunnel that seems dangerously vast,

A hazy beam of light appears at last,

However, my pleas several fall on deaf ears in vain,

I helplessly wallow in a murky hellhole and reach out with pain,

Ghosts from the past scare me, though my life I wish to reset,

In silence I struggle playing events that I always wished to forget,

Melodies turn into dirges that mourn,

In a room full of people I once again feel alone,

The skeletons from the closet resurface and sting,

Verklempt, my echoes prod and poke in loops recurring, 

Dirges haunt me and eternal the night seems,

Once again the walls around me seem to monstrously scream.

***

 

Hope you enjoy experimenting this style.