The Endless Chase: Decoding Linda Pastan’s “What We Want” and Modern Desire
We spend our lives chasing the next big thing—the perfect job, the ideal home, the curated lifestyle. But what happens when we finally get what we want, and the hunger remains?
What We Want
Linda Pastan
What we want
is never simple.
We move among the things
we thought we wanted:
a face, a room, an open book
and these things bear our names–
now they want us.
But what we want appears
in dreams, wearing disguises.
We fall past,
holding out our arms
and in the morning
our arms ache.
We don’t remember the dream,
but the dream remembers us.
It is there all day
as an animal is there
under the table,
as the stars are there
even in full sun.
Reflection
In her hauntingly precise poem “What We Want,” Linda Pastan exposes the elusive nature of human desire. She reminds us that the objects of our longing—”a face, a room, an open book”—lose their luster the moment they are possessed. Once acquired, these triumphs transform from achievements into obligations; they “bear our names” and demand our energy.
This paradox has never been more relevant than it is in today’s hyper-connected, consumer-driven world. We are constantly bombarded by algorithms telling us what to crave, trapping us in a cycle of endless scrolling and purchasing. Pastan compares our subconscious desires to an animal hiding under the table or stars masked by the sun. They are always present, lurking beneath the surface of our busy, waking lives.
Modern life encourages us to ignore this deeper ache by filling our schedules and spaces with material distractions. However, Pastan suggests that true fulfillment cannot be bought or easily defined. Our deepest wants are complex, often visiting us only in forgotten dreams that leave us waking with aching arms. To find peace today, we must look beyond external acquisitions and confront the mysterious, unspoken longings of our inner selves.
As you read this poem, ask yourself:
In a world that constantly tells you what you should desire, which of your wants are truly your own, and which ones are just disguises keeping you from finding genuine peace?