Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Testament of Sex" by Denise Duhamel is a lyrical and evocative poem that draws a vivid parallel between a saxophone player's performance and the intimate, often tumultuous, experiences of human relationships and sexuality. Through the setting and the musician's expressions, Duhamel explores themes of passion, vulnerability, and the inherent connections between art, emotion, and personal experiences.

The poem is set outside "Chelsea 2nd Hand Guitars," where a saxophone player performs every Saturday, creating an atmosphere that Duhamel likens to a "testament," a term that imbues the music with a sense of depth and personal declaration. The comparison of the music to something "as tragic and purple as bruises, as alluring as a woman's bare shoulders" immediately establishes a link between the physicality of human bodies and the emotional resonance of music.

Duhamel uses the saxophone player's choice of location—outside a guitar store surrounded by "the actuality and reflections of acoustic hips"—to emphasize the sensuality and physicality in music. The imagery of instruments as bodies, with hips and acoustic qualities, enhances the theme of music as an embodiment of human experience, enveloping the musician in a metaphorical embrace that shields him from the harshness of the external world.

The musician's desire to "slow everything down" and let everyone "rest after each tumble" reflects a yearning for peace and respite in a hectic world, akin to the post-coital calm that follows passionate encounters. This desire for slowing down also suggests a deeper emotional exhaustion, perhaps from the struggles inherent in both life and the creative process.

Duhamel skillfully avoids having the musician speak, maintaining the mystique of his art form. The comparison of his anticipated voice to that of a swimming teacher who taught the speaker to dive adds layers of trust and transformation to the act of listening to his music. It suggests that the music, like the swimming lessons, is a formative experience, teaching and changing those who engage with it.

The description of the musician wiping his forehead "like he's tackled the hardest lessons in a book" further personifies the music as a challenging intellectual and emotional endeavor, reinforcing the idea that artistic expression requires effort and bears the weight of emotional labor.

Duhamel concludes with a powerful contrast between the silence that follows the music and the resonant experiences it evokes: the post-coital silence "after great sex" and the anticipatory quiet "before a great war." This juxtaposition captures the dual nature of silence as both a peaceful resolution and a tense prelude, paralleling the complexities of human relationships and the emotional spectrum that the saxophone music encompasses.

Overall, "Testament of Sex" is a richly textured poem that uses the motif of a saxophone performance to explore profound themes of connection, protection, expression, and the visceral interplay between sound and silence. Duhamel's use of vivid imagery and deep metaphor invites readers to consider the transformative power of music and its reflection of our deepest human experiences.

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