An arrangment of the words of a poem to create a picture. (Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, The Floating Bear, no. 1-37-418, 1961-1969)

Beatniks made use of poetry and literature to express criticism for the traditions and expectations of society at the time. Words were powerful tools, and they were wielded as such. Word choice and word arrangement in beatnik poetry and literature declared a break from the normalities of daily life. By making use of shocking words, misspelled words, and by organizing them in a way that broke from standard conventions helped to present a view of the world that critiqued the common conceptions of beauty and appropriateness.

The attached picture on the right, from the beat book "The Floating Bear," combines word choice and arrangement. The poem talks about flowers hanging from the ceiling, and the words themselves bend to form an image that gives the sense of something hanging. The words themselves stand out because they are simple and few, making use of careful word choice to best portray the sentiment the author desired to show. Many works of beat art invoke the same principles, pairing word choice and arrangement to create impactful and attention-grabbing visuals.