Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Interlude" captures the poignant, suspended state of waiting for snow, using this natural phenomenon as a metaphor for a deeper, almost existential longing. The poem reflects on the ways in which we anticipate moments of change and release, suggesting that the arrival of snow represents not just a physical transformation of the landscape, but also an emotional and psychological release for the speaker and their companion. Through her use of imagery and metaphor, Pastan explores themes of waiting, connection, and the transformative power of nature.

The poem opens with a sense of anticipation: "We are waiting for snow / the way we might wait for a train / to arrive with its cold cargo." The comparison of snow to a train with "cold cargo" evokes a sense of inevitability, as if the snow's arrival is a scheduled event, expected but delayed. The snow, much like a train carrying something burdensome or heavy, is both awaited and dreaded. The phrase "it is late already, but surely / it will come" reflects a mixture of impatience and certainty, underscoring the idea that this change—like so many in life—is unavoidable, even if its exact timing remains uncertain.

Pastan deepens the metaphor by comparing the wait for snow to waiting "for permission / to breathe again." This line suggests that the arrival of snow will bring a kind of liberation or relief, allowing the speakers to exhale and release whatever tension or burden they have been carrying. The idea that "only the snow / will release us, only the snow / will be a letting go" introduces the snow as a symbol of surrender, a "blind falling / towards the body of earth / and towards each other." The image of snow falling towards the earth evokes a sense of unity and inevitability, as if the snow's descent mirrors the natural gravitation of people towards one another in times of vulnerability or need. The phrase "letting go" suggests an acceptance of whatever is to come, an embrace of the inevitable changes and the comfort of shared experience.

The poem then brings the reader into a more intimate setting, describing the speakers as they "wait at this window / whose sheer transparency / is clouded already / with our mutual breath." The window, a traditional symbol of separation and perspective, here represents the thin barrier between the speakers and the world outside. The "sheer transparency" of the window suggests a clarity of vision, yet this clarity is compromised by the "mutual breath," indicating a shared presence that both connects and obscures. The breath on the windowpane serves as a metaphor for the closeness and the shared anticipation between the speakers, their collective waiting creating a fog that both unites and separates them from the outside world.

In the closing lines, Pastan intensifies the atmosphere of suspense: "it is as if our whole lives depended / on the freezing color / of the sky, on the white / soon to be fractured / gaze of winter." The "freezing color" of the sky and the "white soon to be fractured" evoke the stark, brittle beauty of winter, where the world is transformed into something both fragile and formidable. The use of "gaze" personifies winter, suggesting that its arrival will cast a judgment or bring a revelation. The notion that their "whole lives depended" on this moment underscores the weight of this anticipation, as if the snow's arrival will determine not just the weather but the very course of their lives.

"Interlude" is a meditation on the act of waiting, both for the tangible arrival of snow and for the intangible, transformative experiences it represents. Pastan captures the quiet intensity of this waiting, exploring how it affects the speakers' perceptions of themselves, each other, and the world around them. The poem's imagery of breath, snow, and the colorless sky conveys a sense of fragility and transience, suggesting that moments of waiting are interludes in life where time seems to pause, allowing for reflection and connection.

Through her delicate, evocative language, Pastan invites readers to consider the emotional landscapes that accompany periods of waiting—how these moments, though often filled with uncertainty, can also be times of profound connection and clarity. "Interlude" thus becomes a reflection on the beauty and significance of these suspended moments in life, where we are caught between what is and what will be, waiting for the changes that will inevitably come.

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