Are acrostic poems considered contrived or can they be taken just as

[ariana theodora]

seriously as other forms of poetry? What are you opinions on acrostics?

[Tricia]

It depends, really. An acrostic, when you put as much work into it as you would a poem, and try for that poetic quality, then it can be taken just as seriously as other forms. This one, for example, might be taken seriously as any other poem:

While I lament my heart still sings,
"I look to the heaven, wishing for wings"
So I might not lose whatever brings
Hope.

While if you're trying to describe something, it may or may not be considered serious. Like with those things with names, where only one word is used per line- this, for example, I would not think of much as poetry.

Terrific
Rambunctious
Irreplaceable
Cool
Illogical
Amazing

Not the same poetic quality. See, it really depends what you're aiming for that decides how seriously it would be taken as a poem- that rule is the same, no matter what form of poetry you use.

[crazyhorseavi]

I agree with Tricia. The acrostic aspect is a contrivance, yes, but that doesn't necessarily reflect on the rest of the poem. If you meant the one-letter-per-line spelling-out-a-person's-name thing, well, how seriously can you take something that is so easy to write?