Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux?s "What?s Broken" is a meditation on fragility, loss, and the unyielding passage of time. The poem uses an inventory of broken objects and experiences to explore both the physical and emotional fractures that define human existence. With its quiet tone and vivid imagery, the poem transforms the mundane into a profound reflection on impermanence.

The poem opens with a stark image of the "slate black sky," setting a somber and introspective tone. This initial break—vast and cosmic—frames the poem?s exploration of other, smaller ruptures. The catalog of broken things begins with tangible objects: the "middle step / of the back porch," a "necklace" scattering beads, a "rose stem," and "glass knobs." These everyday items, rendered vivid through Laux?s precise language, evoke a sense of nostalgia and quiet melancholy. Each break is a marker of time, a reminder of moments that have passed and cannot be reclaimed.

As the poem progresses, the brokenness extends beyond objects to the natural world, with the "pot of parsley and mint" spilling its roots and the "cat?s tail" or "bird bath" damaged in some unnamed way. These fractures suggest not just decay but also growth and transformation, as seen in the roots "shooting like streamers through the cracks." Laux subtly intertwines destruction with renewal, reflecting the cyclical nature of life.

The poem takes a more personal turn with the revelation of the speaker?s "broken / little finger on my right hand at birth— / I was pulled out too fast." This intimate detail introduces a human vulnerability, a physical imperfection that carries the weight of a hasty arrival into the world. The juxtaposition of this bodily fracture with the earlier images of broken objects underscores the inevitability of damage in both human and material realms.

Laux broadens the scope of brokenness to encompass larger, existential concepts: the division of "days into nights," the fragmentation of the "night sky / into stars," and the imaginative act of tracing "patterns" among the stars with a "broken-off blade / of grass." This shift from the concrete to the abstract deepens the poem’s exploration of what it means to live in a world that is constantly breaking and reassembling itself. The act of tracing constellations becomes a metaphor for the human impulse to find meaning amidst disarray, to piece together narratives from fragments.

The poem’s emotional core lies in its final lines, where the speaker lies "on the lawn in the dark," contemplating the "cricket’s tiny back" and comparing their heart to a "blue cup fallen from someone’s hands." This imagery captures both delicacy and despair—the cricket?s back, so small and fragile, and the heart, metaphorically shattered, evoke a poignant sense of vulnerability. The "blue cup" suggests not just a personal heartbreak but a universal experience of loss, the inevitability of things slipping from grasp.

The structure of the poem, with its short, clipped lines and enjambment, mirrors the theme of fragmentation. Each line feels like a shard, contributing to the whole but also standing apart, reflecting the brokenness it describes. The repetition of "broken" acts as a refrain, emphasizing the ubiquity of damage while also creating a rhythmic cadence that propels the poem forward.

In "What?s Broken," Laux invites readers to consider the beauty and inevitability of imperfection. The poem?s quiet catalog of fractures—personal, physical, and cosmic—becomes a meditation on resilience and the human capacity to find meaning in loss. Through its vivid imagery and understated tone, the poem reminds us that what is broken can still hold value, that even in its fragmented state, the world continues to offer moments of profound connection and wonder.

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