What We Carry

What We Carry collects poems that examine memory, loss, and the physical experiences of living in a human body. The verses track moments across a lifetime, from childhood recollections to contemplations of mortality. Laux's fifth collection employs straightforward language to capture both everyday occurrences and profound realizations. The poems move through kitchens, bedrooms, and city streets, documenting interactions between family members, lovers, and strangers. The body serves as a central metaphor throughout the collection, with poems addressing illness, desire, and aging. Physical sensations and tangible details ground abstract concepts in concrete imagery. The collection reflects on how experiences accumulate in both our consciousness and our flesh, exploring the burdens and gifts we bear as we move through time. These poems consider what remains after loss and how we continue to carry the past within us.

Readers connect with Laux's raw honesty about personal loss, aging, and mortality. The poems exploring her mother's death and their complex relationship resonate with many who have experienced similar family dynamics. Readers appreciate: - Clear, accessible language that remains profound - Handling of difficult topics without sentimentality - Balance of darkness and light in the collection - Poems about everyday objects and moments transformed - The mix of personal and universal themes Common criticisms: - Some poems feel less polished than others - A few readers find certain pieces too straightforward - Collection's pacing described as uneven by some Ratings: Goodreads: 4.27/5 (203 ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (31 reviews) One reader noted: "Her poem 'Staff Sgt. Metz' haunts me - the way she captures both brutality and humanity in such spare language." Another wrote: "The mother-daughter poems cut straight to the bone. No pretense, just truth."

Blue Hour by Barbara Kingsolver This poetry collection explores the intersection of nature and human experience through observations of everyday moments and life cycles.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück The poems examine mortality and rebirth through garden imagery and multiple voices speaking from earth, flowers, and human consciousness.

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz These poems confront family dynamics, addiction, and cultural identity through narrative poetry grounded in physical details and bodily experience.

Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey The collection weaves personal history with historical narratives while exploring grief, loss, and the complexities of the American South.

Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield These poems investigate the ordinary objects and moments of life while drawing connections between domestic experiences and larger philosophical questions.

🌟 Dorianne Laux began writing poetry at age 30 while working as a waitress and single mother, proving it's never too late to pursue artistic passions. 📖 "What We Carry" was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, marking a significant achievement in contemporary American poetry. 🎓 Despite lacking a traditional academic background early in life, Laux went on to become a distinguished professor at North Carolina State University's MFA program. 📝 The collection explores themes of working-class life, childhood trauma, and female experience—drawing heavily from Laux's personal history as a survivor of abuse. 🏆 This book helped establish Laux as one of America's most important contemporary poets, leading to numerous awards including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.