Old Folks Laugh
Old Folks Laugh - context Summary
Laughter as Aging Liberation
Old folks laugh presents aging people whose quiet habits, smoothed expressions, lips pressed in thought, and bellies that jiggle belie a vitality that erupts in laughter. The poem shows laughter as a social force: when they laugh, they free the world to feel more openly. Their movement is slow and sly, but it carries full memory: the best and worst of remembering, while their bodies are described with vivid, lived detail. The laughter also touches mortality, hinting at a painless death and a generous forgiveness of life for having happened to them. The result is a respectful, affectionate portrait of aging as resilient, communal wisdom.
Read Complete AnalysesThey have spent their content of simpering, holding their lips this and that way, winding the lines between their brows. Old folks allow their bellies to jiggle like slow tambourines. The hollers rise up and spill over any way they want. When old folks laugh, they free the world. They turn slowly, slyly knowing the best and the worst of remembering. Saliva glistens in the corners of their mouths, their heads wobble on brittle necks, but their laps are filled with memories. When old folks laugh, they consider the promise of dear painless death, and generously forgive life for happening to them.
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