The poem “Constantly risking absurdity” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti compares a poet to an acrobat performing high in the air, which could probably be effectively classified as a trapeze artist. The originality of this connection makes it very meaningful. I must say that I have never compared a poet to a trapeze artist before. Ferlinghetti makes this connection to indicate the perilousness of the poet’s job in contrast ironically to the general view that the poet’s life is a calm, serene, and relaxed life. The shape of the poem relates directly to the first line that the poet is “constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience.” The lines of this poem appear in all manner of random places on the page. The poet “climbs on rime to a high wire of his own making.” In order to do his job effectively, a poet must create a sensational experience in the poem by bringing out extraordinary detail and unusual insight, but if he goes too deep or too far with his acumen, he will fall off of the rope and lose the “eyebeams” of a “sea of faces.” In other words, both the acrobat and the author risk losing the respect of their audience, which as shown by the phrase “balancing on eyebeams” is all that supports their professions. Ferlinghetti continues expressing the difficulty of creating meaningful experiences by pointing out that neither the poet nor the trapeze artist can afford to miss the “taut truth.” This phrase ingeniously uses two definitions of the word “taut”, one to indicate that the rope under an acrobat must be tight to support him, and another to refer to the importance of economy in structure and detail in poetry. The poet also expresses the idea that although the poet strives to climb up to “Beauty,” he “may or not” be able to catch her elusive form. This author also uses the word “gravity” to indicate both the impending plunge of “Beauty” and also the weighty significance of her move. The whole poem is essentially an epic metaphor with a tone that suggests a glorious and daring adventure.  The term “charleychaplin” alludes to the old character by that name for the purpose of indicating that this high and mighty task of the “super realist” poet does not suggest that the poet is extraordinary, but that he is an enterprising risk-taker.