Imagine the calm that comes once a long, loud storm has finally passed. The speaker describes exactly that, but with a twist: the silence feels both timeless and strangely unnatural, unlike any quiet they have known. After what feels like years of raging noise, it settles over them, and they begin to sink into it like an embrace. Then it vanishes.
The final stanza explains why. The speaker "snaps awake," and realizes the silence was never really there. It was an illusion, a kind of daydream or wish. Only now, with the noise still around them, do they understand how much they longed for peace. The ellipsis at the end leaves the feeling hanging.
The storm could be real weather, but the poem suggests something more personal, such as stress, turmoil, or an overwhelming period of life. The mood is weary and wistful, with a quiet ache of disappointment. The relief is brief and false, which makes the return to noise sting more.