Coal

In “Coal,” Lorde offers a solar motif. The sun is contrasted with the darkness of the earth where coal is located. The sun is what causes diamonds to sparkle—they do not have an internal source of light but reflect and refract the sun. Within the list of comparisons between words and things, diamond-like words cut glass windows while “Singing out within the crash of passing sun” (Line 10). Here, the sun is almost described using synesthesia (a crossing of senses): Crashing often refers to the senses of sound and touch, such as one hearing and feeling ocean waves crash over them. Lorde uses this kind of watery imagery to describe sunlight coming in through the window.

Lorde develops the motif of words and sunlight in another comparison. She describes words as, “Others know sun” (Line 17), in contrast to the words that stick in her throat. For words to be diamond-like, or for them to reflect light, they have to be released from the body. The poem ends with the concept of “open light” (Line 26). Lorde argues that words that come from the bodies of Black women should be regarded as valuable and displayed out in the sun.