The speaker recalls standing by a pond on a winter day in which the sun shone not as yellow or orange, but white. The whiteness strikes him as if God has chided the sun and thus all life on earth. Meanwhile, a paltry number of gray ash leaves lay scattered on soil devoid of any nutrients.
The eyes of another—presumably the speaker’s ex-lover—travel blankly over the speaker as if considering an old riddle that has already been solved. The pair discuss who has suffered more as a result of the relationship. As they talk, their love further drains from the relationship.
The speaker comments on the bleakness of the ex-lover’s smile, suggesting the active death of their relationship. The smile is a bitter grin that the speaker reads as a bad omen, comparable to a fearsome bird taking flight.
From this experience, the speaker is taught that love is harmful and wrong; anyone who thinks otherwise is being deceived. The scenery of the God-forsaken sun, the ash tree, and the pond edged with grayish leaves is forever entwined with the speaker's memory of his ex-partner's face and the bitter disillusionment that love has wrought in his life.
