Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s “Smoke” is a richly textured exploration of solitude, mortality, and the fragile pleasures of existence. The poem’s speaker, immersed in the act of smoking, finds solace and tension in the interplay between the intimacy of isolation and the ominous presence of the world outside. Through vivid imagery and rhythmic language, Laux captures the bittersweet act of smoking as a meditation on life’s transience and the human desire for fleeting control.

The poem begins with an evocative image of the smoker alone in a dark room, the ember of the cigarette glowing like “a cat’s eye.” This comparison immediately imbues the scene with an animalistic quality, suggesting both vigilance and a primal connection to the darkened environment. The room, “no one there but you and your smoke,” becomes a sanctuary of sorts, a space where the speaker’s solitude allows for a unique form of reflection. The cracked window introduces the world beyond, a liminal space where the cries of “living things” filter through, grounding the speaker in a shared reality while maintaining the boundary of isolation.

Smoke, both literal and metaphorical, serves as the poem’s central motif. It is elusive and ephemeral, “slipping out between the sill and the glass,” embodying the transient nature of life itself. The smoke, like breath, becomes a physical manifestation of the speaker’s existence, simultaneously intimate and dissipating. This duality of smoke—its allure and its association with decay—mirrors the speaker’s contemplation of mortality. The “cat’s eye” coal at the center of the cigarette symbolizes a flicker of life within the encroaching darkness, a fragile yet persistent presence.

As the speaker smokes, the external world intrudes through auditory imagery: the “dumpster / ratcheted open by the claws of a black machine,” the “streetlights clicking from green / to red,” and “scoffing footsteps.” These sounds create a sinister and restless atmosphere, contrasting the stillness of the room. Laux juxtaposes the speaker’s inward focus with the chaotic and indifferent motions of the world outside, reinforcing the fragility of personal moments amid the larger, impersonal forces of existence.

The poem’s rhythm mirrors the act of smoking, with long, sinuous lines that mimic the inhalation and exhalation of breath. The language is deliberately tactile and sensory, drawing the reader into the physicality of the experience: the smoke “curling like fingers along the pale stem of your neck” and “linked like chains above your bowed head.” The repetition of actions—lighting, inhaling, and exhaling—emphasizes both the ritualistic and meditative aspects of smoking. It becomes a way for the speaker to control the uncontrollable, to momentarily hold and release something as intangible as smoke.

Death emerges as a subtle but persistent presence in the poem, personified as it “scrapes its shovel along the sidewalk” and “weaving his way down the street.” This imagery imbues the scene with a quiet menace, as the speaker acknowledges the inevitability of mortality while clinging to the vitality of the present moment. Smoking, an act often associated with self-destruction, paradoxically becomes a gesture of gratitude for life: “You listen and listen / and smoke and give thanks.”

The final lines of the poem evoke a profound sense of impermanence. The speaker describes the smoke as “a sweetness you can never hold, / like the ghost the night will become.” This poignant imagery underscores the transient beauty of both the act of smoking and the night itself, suggesting that life’s fleeting moments carry an intrinsic value, even as they slip away. The imagery of “nooses and halos and zeros and rings” further highlights the tension between creation and destruction, life and death, as the speaker shapes the smoke into symbols of both liberation and confinement.

Laux’s “Smoke” is ultimately a meditation on the human condition, capturing the delicate balance between savoring life’s fleeting pleasures and grappling with its inevitable end. Through its rich sensory details and introspective tone, the poem invites readers to reflect on their own rituals of solitude and the ways in which they confront—or evade—their mortality. In the act of smoking, the speaker finds a paradoxical solace, a way to connect with the fragility and beauty of existence, even as it slips through their fingers like smoke into the night.

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