Contrapuntal poetry involves interweaving or combining two or more poems to create a new poem. Contrapuntal poetry comprises two or more poems that are distinct in tone and subject matter but are, in some way, in conversation with each other. The term “contrapuntal poem” gets its name from contrapuntal music, which features more than one melody playing simultaneously.
There are three poems in this piece: 1— read down the aligned left column side, as “Once upon a time / In a changing world” 2— read down the jagged right column side, as “In a changing climate / Once upon a dark time.” 3— both columns read together, left to right lines in-full, as “Once upon a time / In a changing climate.” The inscription verse is read with all three.
I’d been working on this when yesterday a news story about the largest grid operator in the US is trying to put a pause on new solar interconnections dropped. It’s a similar inciting incident as this poem, pushing me to share.
— Adam Powers