Wait

Although Kinnell never explicitly mentions suicide in “Wait,” the heavy presence of grief and the poet’s pleas for the reader to stay—to wait out the heartbreak—implies the possibility of suicide. That possibility sparks Kinnell’s exploration of two other themes: the nature of love and the question of why one should stay alive until the natural end of life. The grief of heartbreak is a powerful force in “Wait,” as it has caused the listener to “distrust everything” (Line 2) about life, to lose interest in the minutia of life, and to feel the emptiness of the “desolation of lovers” (Lines 11-12). Grief here is not only characterized by numbness to love, pain, and “personal events” (Line 5), but also a tiredness that weighs on the recipient of the poem to the point they consider escaping that fatigue in death.

“Wait” acknowledges the weight of grief on the brokenhearted, the emptiness that seems like it will never be filled, and the exhaustion depression brings. The speaker’s respect for the listener’s emotionally fragile state can be seen in the gentle coaxing away from suicide, suggesting simple alternatives. He pleads, “don’t go too early” (Line 17), “wait a little” (Line 20), and “listen” (Line 20), affirming the pain while offering alternatives to suicide.