Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux’s "Reetika Arranges My Closet" is a richly textured exploration of the interplay between order and chaos, precision and spontaneity, friendship and individuality. Through the lens of two contrasting characters—Reetika, meticulous and serene, and the speaker, chaotic yet exuberant—the poem examines the dynamics of personality, aesthetic, and the deeply personal nature of space and belongings.

The poem opens with an evocative description of Reetika’s home, a place of immaculate order and deliberate arrangement. The details are almost surgical in their precision: “rectangular cutouts of bed, desk, chest of drawers,” and “paper circles the size of dimes for each 100 watt lamp.” This description creates a sense of awe and admiration but also a hint of disquiet, as the speaker observes this perfection with a mix of reverence and self-consciousness. Reetika’s home is not just orderly but imbued with an almost otherworldly cleanliness, where even the objects themselves seem to participate in the aesthetic harmony.

The speaker’s humor and awe are evident as she follows Reetika through her home, marveling at its pristine condition and the almost reverential way Reetika maintains it. The use of sensory imagery—“windows emitting their glorious scent of Windex,” “waxed floors wafting up their slick, lemony, yes”—draws the reader into this world of immaculate surfaces and controlled beauty. Reetika herself is described in terms that align her with her surroundings: her perfectly curated outfit and her giggling, enigmatic charm make her appear almost ethereal, a "collapsed star" of precise beauty and control.

However, the poem shifts dramatically when the scene moves to the speaker’s home, a place of clutter and life, filled with "the everything I?ve saved." The contrast is stark: where Reetika’s space is defined by emptiness and symmetry, the speaker’s is chaotic, overflowing with objects that carry personal history and sentimental value. This juxtaposition mirrors their personalities and philosophies—Reetika’s devotion to minimalism and the speaker’s attachment to the tangible remnants of memory and experience.

In this moment of contrast, the poem celebrates difference rather than judgment. Reetika’s reaction to the speaker’s home is not one of disdain but delight. She “swoons like a schoolgirl holding a ticket for free admission to the Carlsbad Caverns,” treating the clutter and history as a kind of treasure trove to be explored. The transformation of Reetika’s character in this moment is profound; she becomes a seeker of stories, marveling at the speaker’s possessions as if they were artifacts, each with its own narrative and significance.

The speaker, too, undergoes a shift. Initially self-conscious about the chaos of her space, she begins to see it through Reetika’s eyes, recognizing its vibrancy and individuality. The act of sharing her possessions, her "alluvial spew of purses, belts and shoes," becomes an act of trust and connection, a way of baring her life in all its glorious disarray. The poem closes on a note of openness and mutual admiration, with the speaker preparing to “show her everything I own,” signaling a newfound pride in her chaotic world and a deeper bond with Reetika.

Laux’s language throughout the poem is lush and precise, mirroring the duality of the two spaces it describes. The clean, geometric language used to depict Reetika’s home contrasts with the sprawling, organic descriptions of the speaker’s space. This linguistic duality reinforces the thematic contrast between order and chaos, while also celebrating the beauty of both.

At its core, "Reetika Arranges My Closet" is a meditation on friendship, difference, and the ways in which our spaces reflect our inner lives. It celebrates the individuality of the speaker and Reetika, showing how their differences do not divide them but rather deepen their connection. Through its vivid imagery and nuanced characterizations, the poem invites readers to embrace both the ordered and the chaotic aspects of life, finding beauty in the balance between the two.

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