A mesostic is a type of poem where a vertical column of letters punctuates a word and horizontal lines intersect those letters to form a complete poem. It differs from an acrostic and was popularized by composer John Cage. The index word inspires the words surrounding the key column, and the visually intriguing presentation makes it appropriate for print. It can be used to generate ideas or as a helpful puzzle guiding imagery used in the poem. Cage’s rules are not necessary for the form, and the key letters can fall anywhere in the middle of the line.
A mesostic is a poem in which a vertical column of letters punctuates a word and horizontal lines intersect those letters to form a complete poem. This is a different type of poem than an acrostic, where the initial letters of each line can be put together to write a message or word. In most cases, the vertical keyword is meaningful to the rest of the poem rather than an attempt to hide a message within the text. One of the most famous writers of mesostic lyrics was a composer named John Cage, who laid down several rules for this type of poetry, although these are not necessarily absolute.
The mesostic form of poetry has an interesting history. It was once used by a poet named Jackson Mac Low, who used the shape to create poems from existing text based on random operations. For example, he once used the opening words of a book as an index word and the text of the book itself to create an acrostic poem over which he had little control. This process exemplifies in many ways the allure of uncommon imagery that can arise from words suddenly lining together, and the appeal, in general, of mesostics and acrostics created in this way.
Today, a mesostic rarely accepts this randomized construction. Instead, the index word helps inspire the words surrounding that key column. When presented to readers, the poem is usually lined up so that the column is straight and vertical, with its letters somewhat separated from the rest of the text. This can be achieved with capitalization, color or even highlighting. The visually intriguing presentation of this type of text makes the poem especially appropriate for print, as it relies on visual presentation to see its model.
Many people use this type of poem to generate ideas or as a helpful puzzle guiding imagery used in the poem. It is also possible to write mesostic texts in prose, although the presentation of these texts is more problematic due to the structure of the verses. Some of Cage’s rules affect the types of letters that can be used in certain sections of the text, but these rules are not necessary for the form. The term “mesostic” itself comes from the Greek words for “middle” and “line of verse,” so it is usually considered acceptable to complete the poem in any way as long as the key letters fall somewhere in the middle of the line.
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