Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "Clock" poignantly captures the anxiety and discomfort that the relentless passage of time can evoke. Through the seemingly simple act of observing a clock, Pastan delves into existential themes, reflecting on the nature of time, mortality, and the inevitable progression towards the end of life.

The poem begins with the speaker's admission of being disturbed by the "way the clock's hands keep moving," even when they are "just sitting here / not doing anything at all." This sentiment expresses a common, almost universal, unease with the unstoppable forward motion of time. The clock's hands continue to move, indifferent to whether the speaker is actively engaged in life or simply idle. This indifference highlights the contrast between human awareness and the mechanical, unceasing nature of time.

Pastan then zeroes in on the speaker's fixation with the clock, which becomes a symbol of the larger, inescapable reality of time's passage: "not even thinking about anything / except, right now, about that clock / and how it can't keep its hands still." The clock, which should be an object of utility, becomes instead a source of fixation and discomfort, as the speaker grapples with the fact that time moves on regardless of their actions or inactions.

The poem further expands this idea by imagining the presence of clocks and timepieces everywhere: "Even in the dark I picture it, and all / its brother and sister clocks and watches, / even sundials, all those compulsive timepieces." This imagery suggests that time is omnipresent, something that permeates every aspect of life, both day and night. The reference to "sundials" connects the modern, mechanical clocks to ancient methods of measuring time, emphasizing the deep, historical human preoccupation with tracking the passage of time.

The final lines of the poem bring the theme of mortality into sharp focus: "whose only purpose seems to be / to hurry me out of this world." Here, the clocks are portrayed as relentless forces that propel the speaker towards the inevitable end of life. This line encapsulates the existential anxiety at the heart of the poem—the awareness that time is constantly pushing us forward, closer to our own mortality.

"Clock" by Linda Pastan is a meditation on the passage of time and its effects on human consciousness. Through the simple yet powerful image of a clock, the poem explores the tension between the human desire for stillness or permanence and the relentless, unyielding nature of time. Pastan's language and imagery effectively convey the unease that comes from realizing that time moves forward regardless of our actions, and that this movement ultimately leads to our departure from the world. The poem invites readers to reflect on their own relationship with time and the ways in which the awareness of time's passage shapes our experiences of life and mortality.

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