The Opposites Game

In his fifth collection of verse, The Opposites Game, poet Brendan Constantine inspires us to revel in the abundance of life by reckoning its many astonishments (and antonyms). Through a simple yet profound framework of odes, lists, memoirs, and classroom assignments, Constantine asks us to think critically about how we define and understand each other, urging us to look beyond simplistic binaries and engage with the deeper nuances of meaning.

The Opposites Game is a powerful reminder of the intricate relationship between words and the realities they represent, and an invitation to explore the rich, beautiful, and often perilous terrain of human thought and emotion.

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Advanced Praise

“Brendan Constantine is a poet of enormous charm, mystification, and élan. In The Opposites Game, he wonders if he should buy a bulletproof shawl for his aging mother. He admits his ideas for poems come from a vending machine. He reminds us that it gets late so early now. He loves a broken bowl and rues the heartbreak of an aquarium.  This book is full of my favorites, but in my ‘favorite favorite,’ he considers a poem written on a hat.  If I had a hat with one of Brendan’s poem scrawled on it somewhere near the peacock feather, I would wear that hat every day. Do I have to come out and say that Brendan Constantine is one of my favorite poets? Fine. I said it and he is.”

—Ron Koertge, author of A Day at the Beach

“The poem ‘The Room in the Elephant’appears early in this remarkable collection and it’s a precursor of what is to follow: a world turned on its head and interpreted by a singular, controlled voice. Over and over, Constantine astonishes the reader with his sleight of hand.”

— Lynne Thompson, author of Fretwork