Let's do the basics first: palindromic (from the Greek) meaning running back again, applies to anything that reads the same backwards as forwards, be that a word, a sentence, a verse, a number, an image.
People got very excited on 2nd February this year because the date was palindromic: 02-02-2020. I suppose they find the symmetry intriguing; some even ascribe magical properties to such occurrences. (Americans get more of them than the rest of the world because they insist on inverting day and month!) Words like Dad, Mum, gig, Oxo, boob, kayak, rotor, marram, deified, reviver are all obvious palindromes as are phrases such as 'Do geese see god?', 'Madam, I'm Adam', 'Was it a car or a cat I saw?' and my all-time favourite 'A man, a plan, a canal, Panama'.
London's iconic Oxo tower
Devising a palindromic phrase is one thing, creating a palindromic poem is a whole other order of madness; and I suppose the ultimate bonkers palindromic challenge would be to devise a palindromic poem composed entirely of palindromic words!I didn't go that far, but I am able to offer up two brave attempts at palindromic poetry, make of them what you will. The first isn't truly palindromic in the strictest sense, in that it only reads the same forwards and backwards on a word by word basis (more or less, easy peasy, huh?). The second is pure palindrome, letter for letter, front to back and vice versa.
Attempt #1. I shared this with the Blackpool Stanza group recently. I think they were a bit non-plussed but they were polite about it. I struggled to retain a sense of well, sense, running through the poem. The demands of a palindrome tend to wreck meaning, leaving the piece sounding like a fairly haphazardly herded assembly of cryptic crossword clues...
Eton Gag Note (aka Another Fine Mess)Never backward coming forward,well, function doesn't just (incidentally)mean 'music as food of love'.But affairs of state,poor broken-hearted Duke,left scores to settle.
Production: Fluid body of works,perhaps emotion some show, whoall-enthralling orchestra chamberslowly outplays it, that note again,until nothing remains.
What is this arrangement?Love ends up time after timemessing time.
After time up-ends love arrangement,this is what remains: nothing! Until...again, note that it plays out slowly,chamber orchestra enthralling allwho show some emotion, perhapsworks of body fluid production.
Settle to scores left, Duke broken-hearted, poor state of affairs,but love of food as music?Mean, incidentally, just doesn'tfunction well forward.Coming backward? Never!
I was hoping to score extra points for that one by virtue of mentioning forwardness and backwardness and making several references to Shakespeare's seasonal revel, 'Twelfth Night '. Be lenient, please. Okay, time to shift up a gear by way of some palindromic art work.
part of Rick Griffin's cover art for the Grateful Dead's Aoxomoxoa LP
Attempt #2. This way madness lies, or as they would say in deepest Palindromia: "Seils send amya wsiht!" I think I've been watching too much Twin Peaks recently, for what follows sounds like it might just have leaked in from a cryptic parallel reality. Anyway, I've suffered for the sake of this week's theme, so now it's your turn gentle readers...Levon's Novel (aka 23rd Era Schizoid Poem)Ratskrad, cigar tip red,no place demandingI nag nitro pseudonym,no remit. Deity lore's mastitidesplanet, silent agile timeswon a myriad-draw era,faced illicit cat - now trade,tale missal wonky.
Doom evil era-stressed hoodoo,metal bore her oblate mood;ooh, desserts are live, moo!
Dy'know lass, I'm elatedart won tactic - Illi decaf a reward -dairy, man!Ow, semite ligatne listen...Alps.Edit it Sam, sorely tiedtimer on. My, no duesporting an ignid name decal.Ponder Pi, tragic dark star.
And breathe... Well, I shan't be doing one of those again for a while, but thanks so much for reading. And before anybody takes exception to my spelling of that well-known brand of Italian coffee, let me just say that I have adopted the original and truly authentic spelling in the poem because everyone knows (look it up if need be) that the Italian alphabet does not possess a letter 'y'.
Finally, by way of seasonal compensation for all of the above, here is a link to a cheering musical ditty by the wonderful Fountains of Wayne who lost Adam Schlesinger to Covid-19 earlier in the year. Just click on the song title. Enjoy: I Want An Alien For Christmas
Merry Festives, one and all...
