Art Study: Fast Gas

Today, I wanted to share “Fast Gas,” a poem by Dorianne Laux from her 1994 book What We Carry (screenshot taken from Poetry Foundation).

Here are the things I admire about this poem.

Exquisite Word Choice

The first phrase that stopped me in this poem was “unlovely ponytail.” To choose to call the ponytail unlovely, an uncommon word that does not scream ugliness but does concede that loveliness is absent, feels careful, maybe even kind; with her word choice, Laux precisely depicts a no-frills environment without passing judgment upon it.

The second phrase that stopped me was “the kind of beauty that asks to be noticed.” I love the use of the word asks here instead of something like begs or demands. It hammers home the idea of a love that was patiently waiting without undermining its ultimate remarkableness.

Subtle but Unmistakeable Juxtaposition

One of the embarrassing instincts I have as a writer is to always spell out connections I’m drawing between two ideas. I think when I get excited about something I am building, I become increasingly afraid that the reader won’t see what I want them to see and start relying on explication as an ugly creative crutch.

I love how in this poem, Laux is very clearly putting two images side by side (being soaked in gas and falling in love) but does not bridge them with an explicit transition. She simply tells one story and then peppers the next with language that masterfully references the prior visual (dangerous beauty, rise in flame, come close and touch me). It is a reminder of how saying less can sometimes conjure more.