Wait

Kinnell’s poem “Wait” is a plea to the listener to stay alive and reject giving up on life, despite the overwhelming pain of heartbreak. Kinnell never directly mentions suicide, but he implies it throughout as he implores “Don’t go too early” (Line 17). The poem is written in an intimate, conversational tone, which is aided by an informal, free verse structure dividing the poem into two uneven stanzas with non-rhyming verses. The imagery Kinnell uses to reinforce this intimacy closely focuses on small, common objects, as if to never lift the eyes from the immediate space in which one exists. This microfocus mirrors the acuteness of heartbreak, which makes it difficult to see beyond the painful, present moment. However, objects like “hair” (Lines 6 and 21), “buds that open out of season” (Line 8), “second-hand gloves” (Line 9), and “looms” (Line 23) also work to anchor the listener in tangible, rustic experiences, grounding them in a moment of intense emotional tumult.

In the first stanza, the speaker’s voice is insistent but gentle, starting the first line with a brief “Wait,” which is tempered with “for now” (Line 1), as if the speaker understands the delicate and dangerous nature of heartbreak and does not wish to push the listener too much.