I am trying to figure out what this poem is saying. If anyone knows about this poem and could help, much would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Let's take a look at the poem:

Constantly Risking Absurdity
Lawrence Ferlinghetti

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 the 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

Les

Erik,

Think of how a tightrope walker is balanced on the rope. Dancing around, performing tricks, perhaps falling, perhaps looking brave or daring or silly. Ferlinghetti is comparing the poet to that tightrope walker.

pam

Not answering your question, Erik, but out of interest, another poem using a circus tent metaphor, which images 'the empty air of existence' in a different way:

The End of the World
by Archibald MacLeish

Quite unexpectedly, as Vasserot
The armless ambidextrian was lighting
A match between his great and second toe,
And Ralph the lion was engaged in biting
The neck of Madame Sossman while the drum
Pointed, and Teeny was about to cough
In waltz-time swinging Jocko by the thumb—
Quite unexpectedly the top blew off:

And there, there overhead, there, there hung over
Those thousands of white faces, those dazed eyes,
There in the starless dark the poise, the hover,
There with vast wings across the cancelled skies,
There in the sudden blackness the black pall
Of nothing, nothing, nothing—nothing at all.

I was wondering if someone could anaylsis this poem I have?

Which poem do you have?

i need someone to explain the poem roughly for me please.

He is saying "Truth is Beauty and beauty is truth"... by telling the truth a poet can reach Beauty however it can also slip out of his hands "may or may not catch" resulting in absurdity

The poet is describing how he feels as he releases his heart and soul in each poem out into the world. He feels as though he is a tightrope walker at any moment he could fall and he knows this. But he likes the risk and doesn't mind the fact that he could fall at any moment. The conflict of this poem is internal. It is his feelings vs. his thoughts. It could also be external, however, the poet vs. the crowd of people he is entertaining.

I feel so smart right now. |:c) For the records I'm in the 11th grade! Whoop Whoop '07!

I see the form of the poem as mirroring the 'tightrope walker' text. The short lines keep you constantly off-balance and trying to maintain a narrative flow.

pam