Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s “The Thief” examines the interplay between the creative mind and physical intimacy, highlighting the delicate balance between a partner’s individuality and the shared world of love. Through a tender, sensual narrative, the poem portrays the speaker?s deep admiration for her partner while revealing the complexity of love’s capacity to draw someone away from their solitary pursuits into the intimate connection of shared bodies.

The poem opens with a scene of quiet dedication: the man immersed in his work, surrounded by "maps and photographs, diagrams and plans." His focus on creation, on bringing his ideas to life, establishes him as an architect of possibilities, a figure of determination and ambition. The speaker’s admiration is clear; she sees his efforts, even after failures, as worthy of belief and support. This unwavering faith in him forms the emotional foundation of their relationship, even as it contrasts with the physical and emotional interruption she is about to introduce.

The tension between the man’s concentration and the speaker’s desire is central to the poem. Laux captures this dynamic in the speaker’s hesitation: she doesn’t want to disrupt his work, yet she cannot resist the pull of her own yearning. Her movements—setting her coffee down, stepping over his tools, and squatting behind him—are deliberate and almost reverential, as though entering a sacred space. This act of approaching him physically mirrors her emotional approach, a blend of tenderness and boldness.

The speaker’s touch is described in visceral, sensual detail: her hands reach "for the pink wheel of each nipple, the slow beat of his heart," and her ear presses to his back to listen. This sensory connection contrasts with the man’s mental focus on his project, emphasizing the divide between the intellectual and the physical, the abstract and the immediate. Her actions, however, are not solely about desire; they are acts of intimacy that bridge the gap between his world and hers. She is simultaneously a partner supporting his work and a lover asserting the importance of their shared connection.

The poem’s title, “The Thief,” gains significance as the speaker "steals" the man’s attention, drawing him away from his orderly world of "rulers and blue graph-paper" into the "shapeless place" of the body. Her actions disrupt his structured thoughts, replacing them with the chaotic, instinctual rhythms of physical love. Yet this theft is not malicious or destructive; it is an act of creation in itself, as she brings him into "the soft geometry of the flesh," a world equally vital and generative.

Laux’s imagery throughout the poem is rich and multi-layered, blending the tactile with the metaphorical. The speaker describes their intimacy in terms of earth and architecture, evoking "bridges of bone" and the "labyrinth of ladders and stairs." This language reinforces the idea of love and desire as both a construction and an exploration, a journey through the physical and emotional landscapes of their shared existence. The "earth before its sidewalks and cities" suggests a return to primal simplicity, a reminder of the raw, unmediated connection that underlies their relationship.

The final lines encapsulate the poem’s central theme: the interplay between the man’s individual pursuits and the shared world of their love. The speaker’s act of “stealing him back” is not a rejection of his work but an acknowledgment of their mutual dependence. While he creates in his intellectual realm, she reminds him of the necessity of their physical and emotional bond, the "other world he cannot build without" her.

“The Thief” is a celebration of intimacy as a creative force, one that both disrupts and complements the solitary act of invention. Through its evocative imagery and tender narrative, the poem explores the dynamic interplay between individuality and connection, revealing how love can bridge the spaces between two worlds. In doing so, Laux portrays a relationship that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, a testament to the transformative power of love and desire.

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