After the Lunch
by Wendy Cope
On Waterloo Bridge, where we said our goodbyes,
the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes.
I wipe them away with a black woolly glove
and try not to notice I’ve fallen in love.On Waterloo Bridge I am trying to think:
This is nothing. You’re high on the charm and the drink.
But the jukebox inside me is playing a song
that says something different. And when was it wrong?On Waterloo Bridge with the wind in my hair
I am tempted to skip. You’re a fool. I don’t care.
The head does its best, but the heart is the boss,
I admit it before I am halfway across.
Summary of After the Lunch
- Popularity of “After the Lunch”: “After the Lunch” is a celebrated poem by contemporary English poet Wendy Cope, first published in 1994. It is a wonderfully relatable piece that captures the confusing and often contradictory experience of falling in love. The poem explores the internal struggle of a speaker attempting to reconcile newfound feelings with a desire for self‑possession.
- “After the Lunch” as a Representative of Unexpressed Love: The poem centers around the speaker’s internal conflict following a lunch date. She is grappling with the realization that she’s fallen in love, yet actively resists acknowledging it. The setting, Waterloo Bridge, serves as a symbolic space for this emotional negotiation. The speaker attempts to rationalize her feelings, attributing them to the charm of her companion or the effects of alcohol, but her heart ultimately betrays her logical defenses.
- Major Themes in “After the Lunch”: At its core, the poem explores themes of love, self‑deception, and the power of the heart. The speaker’s struggle highlights the tension between reason and emotion, and the eventual acceptance of vulnerability. Ultimately, the poem suggests that love is a force that cannot be easily suppressed, and that acknowledging these feelings can be a liberating experience.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “After the Lunch”
Literary devices are the tools writers use to create meaning and evoke emotion. Wendy Cope masterfully employs several such devices in “After the Lunch” to build a compelling and relatable narrative.
- Assonance: Assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, creates a musical quality and emphasizes certain words. For example, in the line “This is nothing. You’re high on the charm and the drink,” the repeated short ‘i’ sound in “This,” “high,” and “drink” subtly links these words and adds to the speaker’s attempt at self‑assurance.
- Consonance: Consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds, provides a similar effect. Notice the repetition of the ‘t’ sound in “The head does its best, but the heart is the boss.” This reinforces the contrast between the speaker’s intellect and her emotions, highlighting the power struggle occurring within her.
- Enjambment: Enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, creates a sense of fluidity and mimics the speaker’s thought process. The first stanza offers a clear example: “I wipe them away with a black woolly glove, and try not to notice I’ve fallen in love.” This continuation emphasizes the speaker’s desperate attempt to suppress her feelings.
- Imagery: Cope uses vivid imagery to ground the poem in a specific time and place, and to evoke the speaker’s emotional state. Phrases like “the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes,” “the wind in my hair,” and “the jukebox inside me” appeal to the senses and create a strong emotional resonance.
- Personification: The poet personifies abstract concepts to make them more relatable. The most striking example is “But the jukebox inside me is playing a song.” This suggests that the speaker’s emotions are like a soundtrack, playing independently of her conscious control.
- Rhetorical Question: The line “That says something different. And when was it wrong?” isn’t a question seeking an answer, but a rhetorical device that emphasizes the speaker’s internal conflict and her growing acceptance of her feelings.
- Symbolism: Waterloo Bridge itself functions as a symbol. Bridges often represent transitions or connections. Here, it symbolizes the speaker’s emotional journey—a crossing from denial to acceptance.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “After the Lunch”
Poetic devices are specific techniques used by poets to enhance the meaning and musicality of their work. “After the Lunch” demonstrates Cope’s skillful use of these techniques.
- End Rhyme: Cope utilizes end rhyme, the rhyming of words at the end of lines, to create a sense of rhythm and coherence. The poem follows a consistent rhyme scheme, enhancing its musicality.
- Quatrain: Each stanza in “After the Lunch” is a quatrain, a four‑line stanza. This consistent structure provides a sense of balance and order.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem adheres to an ABAB rhyme scheme throughout. This regular pattern contributes to the poem’s melodic quality and enhances its readability.
- Repetition: The repeated phrase “On Waterloo Bridge” functions as a refrain, creating a musical echo and emphasizing the setting as a central element of the poem. It also reinforces the idea of a continuous emotional journey.
- Refrain: The repetition of “On Waterloo Bridge” acts as a refrain, anchoring the poem and drawing attention to the significance of the location in the speaker’s emotional process.
- Stanza: The poem is structured into three stanzas, each contributing to the development of the speaker’s internal conflict and eventual acceptance.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are particularly resonant and can be used to express feelings of vulnerability and newfound affection.
“On Waterloo Bridge, where we said our goodbyes,
the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes.
I wipe them away with a black woolly glove
and try not to notice I’ve fallen in love.”
These lines beautifully capture the bittersweet emotions of saying goodbye and the subtle awareness of falling in love. They can be used to express longing, vulnerability, or the beauty of unexpected connections.