Pause" captures a moment when a speaker who usually can't switch off her thoughts is fully absorbed in another person. Her mind starts out blank, then drifts through the senses one by one: his smell, the softness of his hair, the feel of his touch, the taste of his mouth. Each detail is specific and a little surprising, like cigarette smoke, chai latte, honey and Jameson, which makes him feel real rather than idealized.
The speaker keeps reaching for contradictions. His touch is "softly and brutally," his kiss "delicate and hard," "everything and nothing." She seems to be trying to put into words something that can't be neatly defined. The mood is intimate, dreamy and slightly breathless, with a quiet surprise at the end. For "even a second," her body, soul and thoughts all point in one direction. The title suggests that this rare stillness is the real gift of the moment.