--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every poem holds the unspeakable inside…" description: "\"Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The unsayable... The thing that you can't really say because it's too complicated. It's too complex for us...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/marie-howe-27130_complicated_every-poem-holds-the-unspeakable-inside_1858364.png" --- # Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The… ![“Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The unsayable... The thing that you can't really say because it's too complicated. It's too complex for us. Every poem has that silence deep in the center of it.” quote by Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/marie-howe-27130_complicated_every-poem-holds-the-unspeakable-inside_1858364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/marie-howe-27130_complicated_every-poem-holds-the-unspeakable-inside_1858364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/marie-howe-27130_complicated_every-poem-holds-the-unspeakable-inside_1858364.png) > “Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The unsayable... The thing that you can't really say because it's too complicated. It's too complex for us. Every poem has that silence deep in the center of it.” [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poems contain a deep, unspoken core that resists simple expression, reflecting life's complexity. **In simple terms:** Poems hold a silent, complex core. Key Takeaway Listen for the hidden depth. Themes creativity silence complexity Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading poetry - writing workshops - therapy sessions - educational curricula Key Concepts existentialism aesthetic theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you experience the unspeakable in art? - What techniques reveal hidden depths? A Different Perspective The silence may be inaccessible to some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complex Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-poem-2486306/) [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Poem Holds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-holds-1270869/) [Poem Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-silence-2486307/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Say Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-complicated-539440/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Unspeakable Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unspeakable-inside-2486308/) ## Related quotes > [“Each poem holds the voice of a moment. Held within, they are contained, damned to silence; released, they fly into the world to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noa-daniels/each-poem-holds-the-voice-of-a-moment-held-within-they-are-contained/) [Noa Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noa-daniels/) > [People knew about Babi Yar before Yevtushenko's poem, but they were silent. And when they read the poem, the silence was broken. Art destroys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-shostakovich/people-knew-about-babi-yar-before-yevtushenko-s-poem-but-they-were/) [Dmitri Shostakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-shostakovich/) > [“With each kiss that we shared we experienced the meaning of love. With the passing glances of passion we surrendered our hearts to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-f-rando/with-each-kiss-that-we-shared-we-experienced-the-meaning-of-love-with/) [Anthony F. Rando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-f-rando/) > [You say love is overrated, I say it's complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-say-love-is-overrated-i-say-it-s-complicated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Early on, in discussions of financial oversight, people would say, 'Well, this is a very complicated problem, therefore it requires a complicated solution.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-peter-hansen/early-on-in-discussions-of-financial-oversight-people-would-say-well/) [Lars Peter Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-peter-hansen/) > [The lyrics aren't simple, either. They're extremely difficult because I'm trying to say complicated things in as few words as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/the-lyrics-aren-t-simple-either-they-re-extremely-difficult-because-i/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [What can I say? I'm a complicated guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wolff/what-can-i-say-i-m-a-complicated-guy/) [Alex Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wolff/) > [You say love is overatted, but I say its complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-say-love-is-overatted-but-i-say-its-complicated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) ## More by Marie Howe > [“Even If I Don’t See it Again Even if I don’t see it again.–nor ever feel it I know it is–and that if once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/even-if-i-don-t-see-it-again-even-if-i-don-t-see-it-again-nor-ever/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [I am living. I remember you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-am-living-i-remember-you/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [“I remember a man, a very lonely man, coming up to me at the end of a reading and looking into my face and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-remember-a-man-a-very-lonely-man-coming-up-to-me-at-the-end-of-a/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Poetry is telling something to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/poetry-is-telling-something-to-someone/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Poetry holds the knowledge that we are alive and that we know we're going to die,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/poetry-holds-the-knowledge-that-we-are-alive-and-that-we-know-we-re/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [“I had no idea that the gate I would step through to finally enter this world would be the space my brother’s body made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-had-no-idea-that-the-gate-i-would-step-through-to-finally-enter/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [“ WHAT THE LIVING DO Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down there. And the Drano won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/what-the-living-do-johnny-the-kitchen-sink-has-been-clogged-for-days/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass, say, the window of the corner video store,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/but-there-are-moments-walking-when-i-catch-a-glimpse-of-myself-in-the/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Each of us suffers with envy/for the forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/each-of-us-suffers-with-envy-for-the-forgiven/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Without devotion any life becomes a stranger's story...told for the body to forget what it once loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/without-devotion-any-life-becomes-a-stranger-s-story-told-for-the/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [A traitor commits his crime but once. The rest/is retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/a-traitor-commits-his-crime-but-once-the-rest-is-retribution/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [“Anything I’ve ever tried to keep by force I’ve lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/anything-i-ve-ever-tried-to-keep-by-force-i-ve-lost/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [We tell each other stories to help each other live. That’s why I read poetry. I read poetry to stay alive. That’s why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/we-tell-each-other-stories-to-help-each-other-live-that-s-why-i-read/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Memory is a poet, not an historian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/memory-is-a-poet-not-an-historian/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [Bedeviled, / human, your plight, in waking, is to choose from the words / that even now sleep on your tongue, and to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/bedeviled-human-your-plight-in-waking-is-to-choose-from-the-words/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) [Explore all 21 Marie Howe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) [Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every poem holds the unspeakable inside it. The unsayable... The thing that you can't really say because it's too complicated. It's too complex for us. 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