Exercise 13 (Mirror Poems)

Another wonderful exercise plucked from languageisavirus.com's 82 writing experiments by Bernadette Mayer. I've been pretty lazy overall lately, especially when it comes to making decisions, so I left it up to chance again and got:

13. Write a poem that reflects another poem, as in a mirror. 


But what does it mean to write a poem that reflects another poem? I guess that's up for interpretation. You could metaphorically mirror a poem with another, either synonymically or antonymically, which begs the question, is the reflection of a thing merely a different perspective of that thing or is the reflection the thing's antithesis? Hmm? And do you choose to use the same rhyme scheme? One explanation would be to write the poem backwards, readable in a mirror, or to write the poem in reverse order. Or I'll do as many as I can!


-----------------------------------------

Deferred Dream A

Deferred dream a to happens what?

Up dry it does

Sun the in raisin a like?

Sore a like fester or--

Run then and? 

Meat rotten like stink it does?

Over sugar and crust or--

Sweet syrupy a like?

Sags just it maybe

Load heavy a like.

Explode it does or?

*

derrefeD maerD A

?derrefed maerd a ot sneppah tahW  

pu yrd ti seoD

?nus eht ni nisiar a ekil

--eros a ekil retsef rO

?nur neht dnA

?taem nettor ekil knits ti seoD

--revo ragus dna tsurc rO

?teews ypurys a ekil  

sgas tsuj ti ebyaM

.daol yvaeh a ekil

?edolpxe ti seod rO   *
Suspended Aspirations
What about suspended aspirations?   Are they barren, desiccated like desert corpses? Or do they bubble and congeal-- like geyser froth? Are they rank and fetid like toxic waste? Or do they cocoon themselves-- in layers of shells?   Perhaps like ocean depths they coldly crush.  

Or do they backfire?

*

An Atrophied Ambition

What of an atrophied ambition?   Will it shrivel up like a chrysanthemum in the heat? Or will it surface like a zit-- and then retreat? Will it ooze poison like a toad? Or rust like an iron chain-- and corrode?   It could weigh down upon you like a ton.   Shoot you like a gun?   *

Encouraged Indifference
Who cares about encouraged indifference?   Doesn't it sprout wings and fly to the moon? And bear plenty of fruit-- for the world to eat? Doesn't it smell like fresh roses? And peel back in delicious layers-- like a fresh croissant?   It definitely doesn't float about aimlessly.   

Doesn't it reconstruct?