Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s “Each Sound” is a profound exploration of humanity’s evolution from primal existence to articulate beings, culminating in a meditation on the limits and origins of language. The poem reflects on the cosmic, biological, and emotional forces that have shaped human life, while highlighting the tension between the ineffable truths of existence and our attempts to articulate them.

The poem opens with a stark and sweeping depiction of creation: “Beginnings are brutal, like this accident / of stars colliding.” Laux uses cosmic imagery to ground the human experience in a universal context, suggesting that our origins are both violent and wondrous. The “mute explosions / of colorful gases” contrast the silence of the universe’s beginnings with the vivid and chaotic energy that eventually led to life. This juxtaposition sets the stage for the poem’s central tension between silence and sound, the primal and the articulate.

From the cosmic, the poem moves to the terrestrial, charting humanity’s ascent from “pits of tar and clay.” These lines evoke the raw, elemental nature of our beginnings, emphasizing the physicality of existence. Laux describes this early stage as a time when “it was easy to have teeth, / claw our ways into the trees.” The image of early humans gaining the favor of monkeys, who “sat / on their red asses clapping and laughing,” injects a moment of humor and humility, reminding readers of our kinship with other animals and the simplicity of a time before self-awareness and language.

The tone shifts as Laux reflects on what has been lost in humanity’s evolution. “We’ve forgotten the luxury of dumbness,” she writes, suggesting that the absence of speech once allowed for a purer, more immediate experience of the world. The depiction of humans “crouched naked on an outcrop / of rock, the moon huge and untouched / above us, speechless” is both awe-inspiring and melancholic, a vision of unmediated connection with the natural world that has been obscured by the complexities of language and civilization.

Laux’s meditation on language is both celebratory and critical. She marvels at the transformation of “moans and grunts” into “warm vowels and elegant consonants,” highlighting the beauty and sophistication of human speech. Words like “plethora,” “demitasse,” and “ozone” showcase the breadth of language, its ability to capture abstract and specific concepts. Yet, the poem questions whether we truly understand “what each sound means.” This doubt underscores the limitations of language: despite its elegance, it often fails to capture the full depth of human experience.

The climax of the poem arrives in its reflection on moments of extreme joy or horror, where language falls away, leaving only “an intake of breath.” In these instances, Laux suggests, we are returned to the primordial truths of existence, to the “ball of life expanding / and exploding on impact.” This image echoes the poem’s opening, creating a cyclical structure that ties humanity’s origins to its most visceral experiences. The “first / unspeakable light” symbolizes a primordial, inarticulate understanding of existence that transcends language.

Structurally, the poem’s free verse form mirrors the organic and evolving nature of its subject matter. The enjambment propels the reader forward, mimicking the unstoppable progression of life and language. The poem’s conversational tone and accessible language invite readers to engage with its profound ideas on a personal level, while its vivid imagery ensures that these ideas resonate viscerally.

“Each Sound” is a meditation on the dual nature of language as both a gift and a limitation. Through its exploration of humanity’s evolution from silence to speech, the poem grapples with the tension between our desire to articulate our experiences and the ineffable truths that elude expression. Laux reminds us that even in our most articulate moments, we are still creatures born of stars, muck, and primal breath, connected to the unspeakable origins of life.

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