Shel Silverstein

The Acrobats

The Acrobats - meaning Summary

Playful Fear of Mishap

A short, comic poem that stages an absurd acrobatic scene to explore trust and anxiety in playful terms. The speaker imagines precarious suspension—hanging by ankles, clinging to knees, balancing on a nose—and asks only that no one sneeze. The humor comes from the ridiculous physicality and a single, urgent plea that reveals underlying fear of a small slip undoing the whole stunt. Tone is light, childlike, and wry.

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I’ll swing By my ankles, She’ll cling To your knees As you hang By your nose from a high-up Trapeze. But just one thing, please, As we float through the breeze— Don’t sneeze.

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