The Coming on of Night

“You are Odysseus“ by Linda Pastan (2013)

This poem comes from one of Pastan’s first books, where she writes from the point of view of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Many feminists consider Penelope to be an example of a powerful woman working within the constraints of a male-dominated society. By comparing her life to that of Penelope, Pastan is defining herself as a feminist. She too is working within the constraints of a traditionally female-held role of wife and mother.

“Why are Your Poems so Dark” by Linda Pastan (2011)

In this poem, Pastan responds to the critique that her poems are too dark. She notes that when “God demanded light, / he didn’t banish darkness”; she also uses similes and metaphors that link some of her subject matter to elements of nature. She notes that even the moon is dark most of the time, and so is ink. It suggests that the “dark” subjects she writes about are just as natural and important as the light subjects.

“The Cossacks” by Linda Pastan (2002)

In “The Cossacks,” Pastan describes watching a friend “preparing for next year’s famine with wine / and music.” It examines the tension between the seeming warmth and fecundity of a comfortable life with the knowledge of illness and death.