Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s “Figures” offers a poignant meditation on empathy, debt, and redemption, using the act of giving to strangers as a framework for exploring human connection and the burdens we carry. The poem’s spare yet vivid language draws attention to the quiet gestures of kindness and the unspoken reckonings that accompany them, suggesting a deep interdependence between individual pain and collective humanity.

The poem opens with a simple observation: a man stops to offer money to an “old drunk” or a “stumbling vet.” This initial act is unremarkable on the surface, yet Laux’s choice to pause here—to examine this small moment—imbues it with significance. The description of the man’s gesture, “to rummage in his pockets for change,” is deliberate and reflective, suggesting a habitual action born not from obligation but from a personal understanding of struggle. The specificity of the recipients—figures marginalized by addiction or trauma—evokes a world often overlooked, giving voice to those whose needs are typically ignored.

Laux’s narrative subtly intertwines the man’s compassion with his own history. The reference to “fifteen years ago” reveals that his generosity stems from lived experience, from his own struggles with substance abuse and despair. The metaphor of joy “trapped in a bottle” or a “stained nub of a roach” paints a vivid picture of his past, suggesting both the allure and the suffocation of addiction. His actions in the present are not merely acts of charity but a form of acknowledgment, a recognition of his shared humanity with those still ensnared in cycles of pain.

The imagery in the poem is strikingly tactile and symbolic. The “creased palms open like scrolls” evoke both vulnerability and a sense of history, as though the lives of these individuals are written in their very flesh. The “bright coins of light” are not just currency but emblems of hope or fleeting reprieve, illuminating the transactional nature of survival in the harsh realities of urban life. By framing these exchanges as “winter barter,” Laux emphasizes their stark necessity and the cold, unyielding environment in which they occur.

A key tension in the poem lies in the man’s refusal to judge or question how his money will be used. He “doesn’t care what his money is exchanged for,” whether it is “a blanket, a pair of wrecked shoes, the harsh, sharpened glare of a needle, or a pack of smokes.” This refusal to moralize is crucial; it underscores a deep respect for the autonomy and dignity of those he helps. His giving is not conditional or self-righteous but rooted in an understanding that the worth of a person’s pain cannot be quantified or judged. This perspective challenges the reader to confront their own assumptions about charity and compassion.

The rhetorical question, “Who can calculate the worth / of one man’s pain?” serves as the emotional crux of the poem. It acknowledges the impossibility of measuring suffering or determining its value, while also implying that such suffering is universal and shared. The man’s generosity becomes a way of settling an undefined debt—what he “owes.” This framing transforms his actions into a form of atonement or a recognition of the interconnectedness of human experience. His giving is not transactional but redemptive, a way of reconciling his past with his present.

Laux’s use of language is understated yet powerful, her lines flowing with a quiet rhythm that mirrors the simplicity of the man’s actions. The lack of embellishment or sentimentality allows the weight of the moment to speak for itself. The final phrase, “can’t be more than what he owes,” leaves the reader with a sense of humility and responsibility, a recognition that the debts we carry are not only personal but collective.

“Figures” is a masterful exploration of empathy and the ways in which our individual histories inform our connections to others. Through its focus on small, human gestures, the poem reveals the profound impact of kindness and the unspoken debts that bind us together. Laux invites the reader to consider not only the worth of a person’s pain but also the value of compassion in a world that often seems indifferent to suffering.

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