What changes when you read a poem out of order

On a whim, I once read a short poem backwards — last line first, working up to the opening — mostly to see what would happen. What happened was that the poem's actual argument became clearer, not less clear, because I could see where it was heading before getting swept along by the momentum of reading it forward.

I don't recommend this as the primary way to read poetry. But as a second pass, after reading a poem normally once, reading it in reverse — or even just reading the last line first before starting over — reveals structural choices that get hidden by the forward momentum of a first read. It's a strange trick, but a useful one.

Related reading: The Guide to Reading and Writing Poetry Without the Intimidation.