She said it was I who was falling
But that was bull.
I was keeping her upright.
A ton of bricks mounting.
The more, the merrier?
Perhaps
What is backwards is straight
And what is up is down.
Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny.
Appropriation. Documentation. Confirmation
The quickest route to conformity.
Seeing is not believing.
Blasphemy
The quickest route to conformity.
Flattery. Documentation.
Truth, justice.
What is black is black
And what is white is white.
Perhaps
Less is more?
Demolition of a building.
I said it was she who was falling
But that was bull.
She was keeping me upright.
I really like the chiastic structure, where there are layers from the beginning and end leading into and out of the middle. The beginning and the end statements, when the statements of fact are flipped on their head, makes the whole poem echo this unstable feeling of not knowing what to believe in or depend on or what is really true. Very nice.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
I like the mirror structure of this, with those one-word lines serving as little anchors.
LikeLike
Thank you. Having a structure to fill-out was useful for me — I rarely write for pleasure so if I don’t give myself some parameters I’d be hanging in the wind!
LikeLike
The repeated lines made this feel even more harrowing, especially the choice to repeat “documentation.” The role reversal at the end felt like it added to the feeling of confusion, but also gave a sense of stability – we all lean on each other.
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike