Three of my favorite "Opposite" Poems by Richard Wilbur
1.
What's the opposite of nuts?
It's soup! Let's have no ifs or buts.
In any suitable repast
The soup comes first, the nuts come last.
Or that is what sane folks advise;
You're nuts if you think otherwise
16.
What is the opposite of actor?
The answer's very simple: tractor.
I said that just because it rhymes
As lazy poets do at times.
However, to be more exact,
An actor's one who likes to act
King Lear in some unlikely plot,
Pretending to be what he's not.
The opposite of actor, friend
Is someone who does not pretend,
But is himself, like you and me.
I'm Romeo. Who might you be?
39.
The opposite of opposite?
That's much too difficult, I quit.
What's the opposite of nuts?
It's soup! Let's have no ifs or buts.
In any suitable repast
The soup comes first, the nuts come last.
Or that is what sane folks advise;
You're nuts if you think otherwise
16.
What is the opposite of actor?
The answer's very simple: tractor.
I said that just because it rhymes
As lazy poets do at times.
However, to be more exact,
An actor's one who likes to act
King Lear in some unlikely plot,
Pretending to be what he's not.
The opposite of actor, friend
Is someone who does not pretend,
But is himself, like you and me.
I'm Romeo. Who might you be?
39.
The opposite of opposite?
That's much too difficult, I quit.