As he transitions into the second stanza, the speaker begins to shift into a darker stage of his life not only in his preference of literature but seemingly in his reality as well. Saying, "Evil was just my lark:/ Me and my cloak and fangs/ Had ripping times in the dark". ... While a poet is like an acrobat in his pursuit "toward that still higher perch/ where Beauty stands and waits/ with gravity/ to start her death-defying leap," the poet, like an acrobat, is merely a "little charley chaplin man" who may not possess the ability to capture this beauty. ...

• Word Count: 794
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Graduate