“The Laughter of Women” by Liesel Mueller (2003) – Anthology & Interpretation

“The Laughter of Women” by Liesel Muller (2003)

The laughter of women sets fire
to the Halls of Injustice
and the false evidence burns
to a beautiful white lightness

It rattles the Chambers of Congress
and forces the windows wide open
so the fatuous speeches can fly out

The laughter of women wipes the mist
from the spectacles of the old;
it infects them with a happy flu
and they laugh as if they were young again

Prisoners held in underground cells
imagine that they see daylight
when they remember the laughter of women

It runs across water that divides,
and reconciles two unfriendly shores
like flares that signal the news to each other

What a language it is, the laughter of women,
high-flying and subversive.
Long before law and scripture
we heard the laughter, we understood freedom.

My Interpretation

Choice is what differentiates individuals.
The terrible, unpredictable plagues that affect us
May cause varied circumstances-
But the choice in the moment- 

We can walk with a bounce or a limp
We can live through the world with a smile
or a grimace.
Walk through pain in tears or laughter.

We can understand that the
“or” is actually an “and”-

That when they say “laughter is the best medicine”
They have never had to burry a child,
Or witness genocide. 

But our choice in that moment, to feel the hurt-
To acknowledge it- 

That is what differentiates ourselves.

When we laugh in the face of adversity,
Maybe it looks more like a war cry on the steps of
The capital- or a gasp watching it all happen.

Maybe we are supposed to use our laughter to ward off
The stormy clouds that oppress our daughters
And sons, to let them know that it wont be this bad forever,

Maybe the laughter is coming from a brothel, or a boardroom
Of a fortune 500.
As they see another “record year” at the expense of another
Generation.

Maybe it is the laughter from a grandmother at her
daughters eldest birthday-
As she witnesses her loved ones in America,
Living a dream she only dreamed of.

The laughter is ringing, and we must be louder than theirs.
Our chorus of laughter needs to be resolute in the
Fight against oppression,
Acknowledgement of pain,
And embracement of community.

We must not let our laughter die out…
We must let our laughter echo.

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