Last week
sent me a lovely contrapuntal poem called “the flightless” by and I had to try the form.What makes a contrapuntal is the shape—the lines are broken in a way that should let you to read the poem in multiple directions. To me, they sometimes feel like conversations and other times like overlapping fragments of thought.
I’m including a plaintext version below, but since shape matters in this case, Substack formatting just doesn’t cut it! Ah well. Here it is anyway. :)
Time is Passing things were left unsaid and the oak tree they planted in the summer when you were twenty one, barely gone— it fell at last like a yet warm ghost this year matured it gave good shade dispirited its flesh turned thin and gray how weary your brother who protected you and your father who believed in you and your other brother who still speaks to you are all buttoning their jackets eternal pallbearers burning your branches stone mourners in the rain
Amazing use of counterpoint! Each poem, as well as the integrated poem, works marvelously well. I may have to give this a go at some point. Thanks for sharing :)
Very nice! I had not heard of this, what a creative form. It's like a poem puzzle.