Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s “The Word” explores the intimate dynamics of language and physical connection, focusing on the transformative power of a single word to evoke memory, meaning, and desire. Through a rich tapestry of sensory detail and metaphor, the poem reveals how language becomes entwined with the physical and emotional landscapes of love and loss.

The poem begins with an immediate grounding in physicality: the act of “screwing,” described through its various settings—on a rug, a hotel bed, balconies overlooking trees or city lights. These locations are not just backdrops but integral to the vivid, transient nature of the encounters, suggesting moments suspended in time and space. By pairing the raw, physical act with the delicacy of the word “screwing,” the speaker introduces a juxtaposition between the visceral and the lyrical, setting the stage for a meditation on language itself.

The speaker reflects on the lover’s use of the word “screwing,” contrasting it with her own familiar term, “fucking.” Where the latter carries a blunt, forceful resonance, the former is imbued with a softness and nuance that the speaker finds new and intriguing. This shift in language mirrors a shift in perspective—what was once known and defined becomes reinterpreted through the intimacy of the lover’s voice. The word becomes a vehicle for their connection, capturing both the act and its emotional undertones.

Laux’s imagery further enriches the exploration of this word’s significance. The speaker likens it to sensory experiences: the taste of a “sliver of fish” or “a swirl of chocolate,” evoking a delicate, fleeting pleasure. These comparisons elevate the word beyond its physical connotation, framing it as a sensory and emotional thread that ties the lovers together. The descriptions emphasize the layers of meaning imbued in their acts, the interplay of texture, sound, and sensation.

As the poem shifts to the aftermath of the lover’s absence, the word takes on a more complex resonance. Without the lover to whisper it, the speaker grapples with its implications, imagining it as “metal eating wood” or “delicate filaments quivering inside a bulb.” These metaphors suggest both destruction and fragility, highlighting the duality of love and memory—it is both transformative and consuming. The images of harsh light and sealed jars evoke containment and preservation, a longing to hold onto what has been lost while acknowledging its inevitable change.

The poem’s climax arrives with the image of dragonflies, a vivid metaphor for the entwined beauty and intensity of their connection. The dragonflies, “hovering, end to end,” symbolize the intricate, ephemeral nature of love and desire, their movements writing and spiraling into the air. This imagery captures the essence of the relationship: an act of creation and dissolution, a dance of physical and emotional intimacy that leaves its mark even as it fades.

The final lines bring the lover’s voice back into the speaker’s memory, tying the word “screwing” to the broader narrative of what they “couldn’t help but do to each other.” The word, once a simple descriptor, becomes a “thin cry, unwinding,” a haunting echo of their shared history. It encapsulates the inevitability of their connection, its beauty and its sorrow, and the way language itself holds the weight of experience.

“The Word” is ultimately a meditation on the interplay between language, love, and loss. Through its intricate imagery and emotional depth, the poem captures the way a single word can embody the complexity of human relationships, transforming the physical into the poetic. Laux’s exploration of language as both a bridge and a mirror reflects the profound ways in which words shape our understanding of intimacy and memory, leaving an indelible imprint long after the moments themselves have passed.

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