I realized that this is in the form of a chiasm:
A. For the word of the cross is folly
B. to those who are perishing
B. but to us who are being savedAs a word, chiasm comes from the Greek letter chi (χ), which is shaped like a (tilted) cross. I don't know if there's really anything theological to this, but I thought it interesting (and a bit amusing) that this description of what "the word of the cross" is has a structure named after a cross-shaped letter.
A. it is the power of God.