Lawrence Ferlinghetti

 Constantly Risking Absurdity

constantly risking absurdity

and death

whenever he performs

above the heads

of his audience

the poet like an acrobat

climbs on rime

to a high wire of his own making

and balancing on eyebeams

above a sea of faces

paces his way

to the other side of day

performing entrachats

and sleight-of-foot tricks

and other high theatrics

and all without mistaking

any thing

for what it may not be

For he's the super realist

who must perforce perceive

taut truth

before the taking of each stance or step

in his supposed advance

toward that still higher perch

where Beauty stands and waits

with gravity

to start her death-defying leap

And he

a little charleychaplin man

who may or may not catch

her fair eternal form

spreadeagled in the empty air

of existence

- Lawrence Ferlinghetti

       

This poem is about the poet's struggle to create art that goes beyond the ordinary and the mundane. The poem compares the poet to an acrobat, who must take risks and perform daring feats in order to achieve his goals.

        The poem suggests that the poet is constantly risking absurdity and death by performing above the heads of his audience. The poet's task is to climb on "rime" (which is a play on the word "rhyme") and balance on "eyebeams" (which suggests a kind of visionary or imaginative power) in order to reach the other side of day, or to create something new and meaningful.

        The poem also suggests that the poet must be a "super realist" who perceives "taut truth" before taking each step toward his artistic goals. The poet is not interested in mistaking anything for what it may not be, but is focused on reaching a still higher perch where beauty stands and waits with gravity.

        Ultimately, the poem suggests that the poet is a little "charleychaplin man" who may or may not catch "her fair eternal form" (referring to Beauty) spreadeagled in the empty air of existence. In other words, the poem emphasizes the difficulty and uncertainty of the poet's task, but also suggests that it is worth the risk and effort to create something new and beautiful in the world.