Attempting to write poetry is a feat on its own. But writing a meaningful piece is more of a challenge. What else can make it even more amazing? Having it read backwards.
A 14-year-old boy wrote a brilliant poem that has gone viral and has been retweeted 120,000 times, BBC News reported.
Read from top-to-bottom and then in reverse, the 25-line poem has contrasting themes, NDTV reported.
Posted on Twitter, the poem was shared by the teenager's older brother, Derek Nichols, from North Carolina.
"Read this... My 14 year old brother wrote this...Crazyyyy," and then tweeted a picture of the poem written out on a sheet of paper, according to NDTV.
"On first reading, the 25-line poem entitled Our Generation, although lucid and heartfelt, does not strike the reader as a technical achievement," BBC News reported. "The 'crazyyyyy' part happens when you reach the last line and follow the instruction to read through the poem backwards, a line at a time. The poem then reveals a different meaning, a different sentiment, and a different view of 'our generation.'"
As soon as the poem was posted by Nichols, it started to spread and got over 150,000 likes on Facebook over a month. "My left hand is all over the internet," Nichols humorously tweeted.
"It actually evoked some emotion in me. I felt something," said Olaturndownforwhat.
"This gave me chills," agreed@thatsavage_34.
However, a few users were quick to bring up comparisons between the teenager's poem and Jonathan Reed's poem called Lost Generation, which can also be read backwards.
According to BBC News, "the details of the story beyond what appears on Twitter" could not be verified by BBC Trending.
Our Generation
Our generation will be known for nothing.
Never will anybody say,
We were the peak of mankind.
That is wrong, the truth is
Our generation was a failure.
Thinking that
We actually succeeded
Is a waste. And we know
Living only for money and power
Is the way to go.
Being loving, respectful, and kind
Is a dumb thing to do.
Forgetting about that time,
Will not be easy, but we will try.
Changing our world for the better
Is something we never did.
Giving up
Was how we handled our problems.
Working hard
Was a joke.
We knew that
People thought we couldn't come back
That might be true,
Unless we turn things around
(And now read this bottom to top)
Now, which version of the poem would you agree on?
