Anticipation: A Pause, Prior to Action or Event Unfolding

In a crowded room, a solitary figure waits. They are not just waiting for a train to come or a bus to stop, but for a myriad of things that touch the human heart.

Gerhard Rühmkorf, a renowned German poet, captures this universal experience in his poem, where he paints a vivid portrait of a person yearning for various moments and emotions.

The person waits in a lonely room, longing for the sound of a child's laughter, the warmth of a loved one's hug, and the softness of a kiss goodnight. They yearn for the moonlight, the bluest sky, and the first breath of a new life.

Their wait is not just for the day to start or end, but also for love to come, for death to arrive, and for time to stop. They anticipate the day when they can crawl into bed, the moment when they hear that first baby cry, and the postman putting a letter through their door.

In a hospital corridor, they wait for the day to end, for the test results to come, and for the sound of a key in the door. They even wait for a walk in the park, for the rainbow to appear, and for the dreams to come.

Yet, amidst all these waits, there is a sense of melancholy, a longing for an end to the waiting. The speaker, in their closing lines, bids farewell to their friends, ending their message with a goodnight.

It is a poignant reminder that we are all waiting for something, be it big or small, joyful or sorrowful. Rühmkorf's poem resonates with us because it captures the essence of human longing and the universal experience of waiting.

In this poem, Rühmkorf masterfully weaves together the mundane and the profound, creating a tapestry of human emotions that speaks to the heart of every reader. It is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the human condition and to remind us of our shared experiences.