The Universe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

“The Universe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” (2011) by Tracy K. Smith is a free verse poem about the development of the universe and humanity’s place in the cosmos. The poem utilizes metaphors and vivid imagery to present a soundtrack of time and space while reflecting on the tiny role humans play in the development of that soundtrack. Instead of relying on rhyme and a set rhythm like formal poetry, Smith utilizes poetic devices like figurative language to build her imagery; precise vocabulary and economization to establish tone and feel; and alliteration to give the poem its sonic characteristics. Along with the poem’s figurative meaning and auditory quality, Smith’s personal history informs the poem as her father worked on the Hubble Space Telescope and died shortly before the poem’s composition. With this knowledge, readers can understand how the poem works as a metaphorical comment on humanity and as a personal reflection on the poet’s father’s death.

While the poem does not necessarily exist within a historical literary movement, Smith’s influences include many 20th century Modernists, and the poem’s focus on precise imagery, its surreal

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