Wilbur's first book based on this game, OPPOSITES, was published in 1973. The poems in both volumes are a bit nutty, thoroughly entertaining, and downright clever. Here's one from MORE OPPOSITES."Richard Wilbur, his wife, and their four children used to play a rather unusual game around the dinner table. One member of the family would suggest a word, and then everyone would join in a lively quarrel about its proper opposite."
The opposite of kite, I'd say,
Is yo-yo. On a breezy day
You take your kite and let it rise
Upon its string into the skies,
And then you pull it down with ease
(Unless it crashes in the trees).
A yo-yo, though, drops down, and then
You quickly bring it up again
By pulling deftly on the string
(If you can work the blasted thing).
Here's a nice video of Wilbur reading a number of opposite poems.
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ReplyDeleteTHE
ReplyDeleteopposite of fast is slow,
opposite of stop is go,
opposite of sit is stand,
opposite of sea is land,
opposite of fire is ice,
opposite of mean is nice,
opposite of left is right,
opposite of day is night,
opposite of south is north,
opposite of back is forth,
opposite of east is west,
opposite worst is best,
opposite of smile is frown,
opposite of up is down,
opposite of dog is cat,
opposite of ball is bat.
The opposite of opposite?
Only answer I could claim
is that they are both the same.
(c) Charles Waters 2012 all rights reserved.
Opposite
ReplyDeleteThe opposite of the noise
you get from a marching band
crashing like surf on a beach
or the crowd in a giant stadium
just after a goal is made—
that mad joy of humanity
shouting its life—is the sound
of morning right after you wake
and slip through the house,
first one up, listening only
to the words you will soon
tap softly onto a screen
in a near-dark room. And this
is also the shout of humanity,
the voice that will speak on
longer than the last quiet breath
of the one who wrote.
—Kate Coombs, 2012
all rights reserved
Opposites
ReplyDeleteWhen up is down,
when white is black,
when near is far,
when front is back,
when birds and butterflies
all crawl,
when jump rope bounces
but not ball,
when rain is dry
and spit is, too,
when being happy's
known as blue,
when soft is hard,
when hard is silk,
when wine is bitter
just like milk,
when night is light
and day is dark,
when every crow
out-sings the lark,
when in is out
and fro is to,
then I will not
remember you,
remember you.
© 2012 Jane Yolen all rights reserved
Love this.
DeleteSketched down after attending a parent-teacher conference and noticing a certain ferocity hanging in the halls. There's an "opposite" relationship here, I think.
ReplyDeleteDogs, and Dogs
By Steven Withrow
Dogs from the meanest obedience schools
Were seldom delinquents as pups.
They learned laws of leashes, lashes and rules
From pack-attack-alpha grown-ups.
Dogs from the finest academies once
Were gauche and unruly, uncouth
And obtuse, as many a kennel-club dunce.
What a shame how we tutor our youth.
Steven--Heehee. I used to teach; good analogy! I learned teaching one on one, though, that the middle and high school pups were usually wonderful when not in packs. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Opposite Boy
ReplyDeleteHe sat down lengthwise as he knelt
Upon the ceiling where he hung
Right side up. From there he swung
Motionless until he felt
Night falling from the rising sun.
He went to bath and took a bed.
That’s when his mother Henry said,
“Butter a book and read a bun.”
He fell awake and sprang asleep.
“Tonight’s the day I start to quit
To do the same thing opposite!”
(Which was extremely shallowdeep.)
“I always tell the truth to lie.
Good-bye, hello. Hello, good-bye.”
Oooooh, I love opposites poems! Here are 3 (tiny ones) of mine...
ReplyDeleteHow many?
How many rainstorms
does it take
to widen puddles
into lakes?
And just how hot
must deserts get
before their cacti
start to sweat?
Opposites
On soft warm earth,
The sparrow swoops
To nip a tasty worm.
On cold wet snow,
The reindeer stoops
To taste a nippy fern.
Buttercup
A buttercup
in Lily’s lap
is like
a scoop
of sun.
A lily
in a
briar patch
is butter
on a bun.
(c) 2011, jgk
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, I love opposites poems! Here are 3 (tiny ones) of mine...
ReplyDeleteButtercup
A buttercup
in Lily’s lap
is like
a scoop
of sun.
A lily
in a
briar patch
is butter
on a bun.
Opposites
On soft warm earth,
the sparrow swoops
to nip a tasty worm.
On cold wet snow,
the reindeer stoops
to taste a nippy fern.
How many?
How many rainstorms
does it take
to widen puddles
into lakes?
And just how hot
must deserts get
before their cacti
start to sweat?
What fun. Thanks for the challenge!
ReplyDelete(I deleted my earlier post to edit some commas.)
On Trying to Write a Poem About Opposites:
Nuance
eludes me,
try as I might
to fashion a poem
that's not at all trite.
My effort with opposites,
try as I may,
repeatedly
ends in
cliché,
cliché.
How many?
ReplyDeleteHow many rainstorms
does it take
to widen puddles
into lakes?
And just how hot
must deserts get
before their cacti
start to sweat?
Buttercup
A buttercup
in Lily’s lap
is like
a scoop
of sun.
A lily
in a
briar patch
is butter
on a bun.
Opposites
On soft warm earth,
the sparrow swoops
to nip a tasty worm.
On cold wet snow,
the reindeer stoops
to taste a nippy fern.
(c) 2011, julie krantz
I wanted to let you know that though I didn't write a poem about opposites, I did introduce the game to my kids and we've been having a lot of fun with it at dinner. Thanks for introducing it to us.
ReplyDelete