Empty Space

For Anne Waldman, there is no real or singular identity to existence. Believing that we know things only through the knowledge of other things, the poet believes that the universe is not a stable object. In her poem "Makeup on Empty Space", Waldman brings these themes to life in an extended, gendered metaphor, utilizing the material adornment makeup to fill a void. 

In her poem, Waldman seeks to explore her belief that everything in this world is mere appearance. The "empty space" that she describes should stand for anything in the universe that humans come into contact with. This poem uses the metaphor of makeup to illustrate the passing nature of phenomenal experience. Painting on makeup is the same action of adorning the universe in any way, which Waldman sees as ephemeral and fleeting. 

Anne Waldman views adornment of the universe, for the sake of her poem, makeup, as a conflict between material culture and the philosophical goals of the Buddhism she practices. Indeed, this poem in itself is an act of putting makeup on empty space. It is an act of decorating the universe through language. 

“Makeup on Empty Space” is a very unique poem. Using heavy repetition, Anne Waldman strengthens her point by describing the ultimate futility of adorning fleeting aspects of daily existence. Written as a type of performance, the text here is used in order to promote that performance.

The narrator of this poem “binds” several things throughout it. She binds the “massive rock”, the “hanging night.” Using this set of repeating action verbs, Ann Waldman explores further her universal refrain. Putting makeup on  an empty space, Ann Waldman shows that the universe is an entity without an identity and something whose adornment is a futile and ephemeral experience.