What is the opposite of water?

April 23, 2018 2:38 AM

Cygnus. Poetry by Cameron Barnett. Bivocal, dialogical, interruptive — what’s the technical term for this poem’s gracefully woven structure? It forces you to read between the lines. Maybe everything after the first line is an answer to “the opposite of water.” Or maybe the indented sentence is a sort of swan song floating through the questions. “Cygnus” is Latin for “swan” and the name of a constellation. Any way you read it, the poem’s interrogative uncertainty shimmers like the mirrors of that dazzling final image. Selected by Terrance Hayes
posted by dancestoblue (6 comments total)

I enjoyed that, thanks, dancestoblue. Another piece by the same author incorporating some similar imagery: supernova.
posted by misteraitch at 4:02 AM on April 23, 2018

Seems to require a NY Times subscription to view.
posted by zardoz at 4:29 AM on April 23, 2018

That was lovely, thanks for sharing.
posted by Cash4Lead at 5:09 AM on April 23, 2018

Seems to require a NY Times subscription to view.

Try opening the link in incognito mode.
posted by pracowity at 5:11 AM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

I love this, thank you for sharing!

As a brief aside: What is the opposite of a tolerable illustration?
posted by papayaninja at 5:56 AM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

I read this in the NYT Magazine on Sunday and I don't know what the right word is to describe how I felt, but I'm glad I wasn't the only one on whom it made an impact.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:38 AM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]