Dearest Children of Ours, before you fly off your collective handle, please note that Mother Dearest is learning to write poetry. Another blog challenge, yes; why do you even have to ask?
Mother is not quite ready to leave her day job yet, but this is her attempt at writing Reverse Poetry, a poem that can be read forwards (top to bottom) and have one meaning but can also be read backward (bottom to top) and have a different or opposite meaning.
This poem is dedicated to you and you can either reread the poem from the top down and then from the bottom up to find the real meaning thereof or you can exercise your right to be lazy and listen to the audio version below. You will notice that the top-down version has a negative meaning and the bottom-up is positive. (The voice was “borrowed” from Microsoft Reader.)
This is my first entry for the A and I Poetry Challenge no 3: May. Due to time constraints, I was not able to publish an entry for April and I promised to post two poems this month.
Ineke and Amanda, my apologies, I keep straying from the suggested topics, but I’m having so much fun discovering poetry, poets and poems (although I do tend to make life difficult for myself by trying to master the advanced techniques, haha).
Ineke, the next entry will be in Afrikaans.
Please find information about the coronavirus here 
Tannie Frannie
Oooo, jy bevestig net weer my opinie dat jy besonder fluks is! Het dit nou geniet om so heen en weer te lees, dis baie slim!
HesterLeyNel
Dankie Frannie – dit was nou vir my ook iets nuuts.
travel460
O, ek het nou uitgebars van die lag vir jou!!!!!! Bertus is besig om die die bad se lek te probeer regmaak, met diè dat ons nou al twee weke konstant plumming probleme in die huis het. Toe ek nou so lag vir die woorde, en net daarna na die audio luister, toe kap hy sy kop teen die bad se rand en sê ñ lelike woord en word kwaad omdat ek sy aandag aflei… en dis jou skuld… eintlik al ons kinders se skuld.. . Punt.😂😂😂🍷
HesterLeyNel
Whaha Una, jy weet ook net hoe om in die moeilikheid te bly! Jou man gaan jou nog verbied om te blog en wat word dan van ons?
travel460
Jammer as dit dalk nie bedoel is om snaaks te wees nie, Hester.
HesterLeyNel
Haai nee, jy ken my goed genoeg om te weet wanneer ek gekskeer. Ek hou daarvan om my span se siele uit te trek.
travel460
Ek lag steeds vir die woorde. Gaan dit vir al vyf die kinders forward!😂🤗
HesterLeyNel
Ek weet my seuns gaan net die eerste gedeelte vinnig scan en dan klim hulle op whatsapp om hulle ma reg te sien!
Anne
I take my hat off to you: WELL DONE!
HesterLeyNel
Thank you Anne 😊
sonell
Jy is so talentvol!
HesterLeyNel
Dankie, maar ek glo nie ek myself ooit ‘n digter kan noem nie 😊
sonell
Jy mag maar 😉
HesterLeyNel
😜
sandyjwhite
I am not familiar with Reverse Poetry, but this looks to be quite challenging
and great fun. You did a wonderful job!
HesterLeyNel
Thank you Sandy, this was also my first introduction to reverse poetry and it was a challenge – something I can never resist 😊
sandyjwhite
Good for you. Go for it!
A. Shepherdson
I’d honestly never come across reverse poetry before, in fact it confused me before I’d read your explanation and I have to say I much 🙂 prefer the positive. A lovely photo.
HesterLeyNel
Neither have I Andrew, this was the first time I ever clapped my eyes on reverse poetry which of course meant that I just HAD to try it on 😊
Forestwood
What an amazing job you have done here. Reverse poetry is indeed a challenging concept. I am really impressed by this poem, Hester. I love that it contains surprises when read in both directions, even though they are the same words. It personifies the yin/yang, positive/negatives of parenthood and indeed of life itself. Some days we feel one way and others, the complete opposite. So very clever! I do hope you keep up with the challenge. Are you going to post this poem in Afrikaans this month too?
HesterLeyNel
Thank you Amanda, your encouragement means a lot to me. I haven’t (yet) considered translating this poem. Afrikaans and English syntaxes are two worlds apart and I am afraid that in a structured poem, the meaning may be lost. I’ll give it some thought.
Forestwood
I did wonder just how it might translate. Language is such an interesting thing as it is so rarely a matter of word replacing word, in translations. So many nuances and jargon is lost through translations. I have found that with book translations. Let me know how you go. If you do decide to translate it, you might come up with a completely different or even better poem, although this one is excellent in its own right!
HesterLeyNel
😊
Kameel
Nou het jy heeltemal met my kop gesmokkel. Hoe op aarde kry jy dit reg om ‘n ding negatief te laat klink, en wanneer jy teruglees is dit positief? Dis baie goed gedoen!!!
HesterLeyNel
Daar is ‘n spesifieke “resep” wat jy moet volg. Dis ingesluit by ‘n skoolsillabus en ek het toevallig hierop afgekom deur ‘n bietjie op te lees oor poetry vir die uitdaging wat Ineke aanbied. Dis geweldig interessant en natuurlik moes ek dit probeer. Kyk hier http://libguides.bernardsboe.com/c.php?g=701044&p=4974432
Kameel
Probeer jy my verlei Hester? Ek sal kyk…. en dit sal my seker nog ‘n nag se slaap kos. Kan jy glo dat ek laasnag bly spook het met hierdie feëverhaal. My brein wou nie afskakel nie…. en vandag sit ek soos ‘n zombie.
scrapydo2.wordpress.com
Nou slaan jy my asem skoon weg. Dis nou n ander manier om te dig. Baie dankie dat jy so hard werk om te dig. Jy is beslis briljant.
I also thought at first You are giving a negative description of parenthood. Then I read the explanation and was amazed by the result.
HesterLeyNel
Dankie Ineke. If you want to see true genius at work, read the poem Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed.
scrapydo2.wordpress.com
Thanks I’ll read it!
Nilanjana Bose
Brilliant job with the Reverse poetry! Love the positive-negative reversal too, so clever!
HesterLeyNel
Wow, coming from you that is a wonderful compliment indeed. I just read your post for today and told myself that I should rather not comment, because my knowledge of poetry in general is so meager. Maybe I was afraid you would apply some violent editing to my attempt. Haha, no, I know you would not do that, but I must admit that I am a little out of my depth here, but very eager to learn. Thank you for dropping by.
Toortsie
Ek glo van bo na onder is tong in die kies. Van onder na bo uit die boonste rakke!
HesterLeyNel
Haha, ek moet mos my kinders se siele so ‘n bietjie uittrek.
Doesnt Speak Klingon (@NotKlingonRed)
Huh. Never had kids, never wanted them. I read top to bottom, and was kind of refreshed by the lack of sentimentality!
HesterLeyNel
So, you didn’t read backward (bottom-up)? I also never had a great urge to be a mother, but I did have three children and these days (the eldest is turning 40), I find great joy in them. So, if you read the poem backward, you may find a little sentiment after all. 😄