The Poetry Forms Series: Acrostic

What is an Acrostic Poem?

Traditionally, an acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase when read vertically.

Acrostic poetry has been around since ancient times. In fact, its name is derived from two Greek words: akro- (meaning “beginning, end, tip”) and stichis (meaning “line, row, rank”).

Anyway, a simple example of the acrostic poem:

Why am I bothered that

Everyone else seems

Impervious to change

Regardless of the

Drama it creates?

Acrostic Features

Beyond the vertical spelling out of words and phrases, the acrostic poem has no specific form, no rules regarding meter, rhythm, or rhyme. While it would be difficult to create an acrostic prose poem (difficult but not impossible, you amazing creatives!), the acrostic can be incorporated into just about any form you can come up with.

A few other features of the acrostic poem:

• The word or phrase that’s spelled out is known as an acrostich (not to be confused with a cross stitch, which is an entirely different creative endeavor!).

• The acrostich and the poem should relate to one another. Either the poem can be about the acrostich or the acrostich can support the poem. (More on this below.)

• Sadly, acrostic poems don’t get a lot of love these days. Many poets find them a bit juvenile, which is probably why acrostics have become popular in children’s poetry. However, writing a truly good, complex acrostic isn’t easy and that effort shouldn’t be discounted.

• Acrostic poems are also tailor-made for humorous poetry because the acrostich can be something ironic, silly, or sarcastic, not unlike our sample poem above.

• An acrostic poem can be formatted in a very obvious way (acrostich letters bolded, for example) or can be formatted very subtly with the acrostich inserted as a hidden message only to those who are observant enough to see it. However, if you choose to be that sneaky about it, be prepared for disappointment when a large percentage of readers don’t figure it out (at least not on their own).

Types of Acrostics

There are a few defined variations on the traditional acrostic. You may want to try to invent your own variation or just experiment with these.

Telestich

The telestich (or telestic poem) uses the last letter in each line to create a vertical message.

I’ve discovered prooF

It doesn’t matter whO

Anyone can authoR

A well-rhymed poeM

Mesostich

The mesostic poem is one in which letters in the middle of each line stack up to create hidden words or phrases. According to Writers.com, “Some poets, like Andrew Culver, argue that a true mesostich is only achieved when the mesostic letters are not repeated twice in the same line.” You’ll notice we’ve managed to achieve this feature in the example below.

Double Acrostic

This combo version is a cross between the traditional acrostic and the telestich and features hidden words or phrases using both the first letters and the last letters in each line.

Benny handed a snack to Bob.

“Eat it. Mom says it’s good for you.” 

Sitting ear to ear, they both munched.

Twin boys crunching on twin apples.

Abecedarian

The abecedarian uses the first letters in each line to go through the entire alphabet in order. That means that in English, an abecedarian has twenty-six lines. And there’s no skipping letters, so yes, you do have to figure out how to work in the more challenging letters like J, Q, X, and Z.

For an example of an abecedarian, I suggest you check out “Alphabet Street” by Randall Mann.

The Golden Shovel

The golden shovel acrostic was created by Terrance Hayes in his poem of the same name. In the golden shovel, the last word of each line recreates phrasing from another poem. 

I reach for him, my hand open and

My eyes screaming to him that

He only has to decide, that he has

Everything here, that we’ve made

The home we’ve both wanted all

Our lives, that this moment is the

Chance for him to be the difference.

(Hayes’s poem pays homage to Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool.” Our poem, in case you don’t recognize it, borrows from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”)

Tips for Creating Acrostic Poems

First you have to decide which type of acrostic poem you want to write and what your “‘stich”—be it an acrostich, a telestich, a mesostich, or some other type of ‘stich—will be. Then the general “rules” of writing poetry kick in—dynamic language, metaphor and imagery, originality, and so on. But also consider a few tips unique to this particular form.

Mix It Up

You can follow your chosen acrostic form to the letter, or you can do what Terrance Hayes did and try to create something new. Hayes used the last words in each line. What if you used the first words? What if you spelled your acrostich or telestich backward? How about using diagonals or combining forms like the double acrostic does? The point is to use that amazing imagination of yours—if inspired to do so—to forge a new acrostic path.

Keep It Relative

In other words, make sure that the poem and the acrostich are related to each other. According to LitCharts, acrostiches “are often used to spell out names or meanings that are associated with the text but that have not been said outright—this can be used for comedic effect, to tell a secret, or to give supplemental information.” In fact, the relationship between poem and acrostich can be just about anything. You can build the poem around the acrostich or choose an acrostich that serves the poem you want to write. Either way, make sure they complement each other.

Make the Poem Strong

Even if you build the poem around the acrostich, make sure the poem can stand on its own two feet. If the acrostich weren’t there, would the poem still be good? Would it still have impact? For example, our cheeky little mesostich above is certainly more amusing with the word WINE in it, but does it have meaning on its own as well? If it doesn’t, it’s little more than a cute example and not a very good poem. Make your acrostics very good poems that just happen to also be acrostics.

Your Challenge

Practice writing acrostics. Try each form—they don’t have to be long (except for the twenty-six–line abecedarian, of course). Try writing one around someone’s name—a child, a parent, a mentor, etc. Write one around a specific place that you really love (or really hate). Write one about a concept or emotion—love, joy, anger, embarrassment, freedom, individuality, etc.

Feel free to share what you come up with in the comments section.

Have fun!