"ACROBATS" by Ian Hamilton Finlay

Analysis:

 It is not a usual poem and belongs to a collection of  visual poems . In such poems words signify according to the way they are written.

This poem does not follow the common rules of writing, it is not arranged into lines and does not have figures of speech.

It is made of an only word: "acrobats".

Each letter occupies an entire line, so that in order to understand the whole word, you have to read crosswise. The poets chose this style to express a  message. Perhaps he wanted to re-create acrobats' gestures. So, as it is difficult for an acrobat to do his acrobatics, it is also complex for the reader to read the poem and understand how it is written and structured.