The conversation begins with someone mentioning that two of her friends had a reaction far different from hers to William Carlos Williams’ “To Waken an Old Lady.” Then, someone responds with the idea that understanding is different from interpretation. How is it different to be understood as a person than to be interpreted? Robert Pinsky reads the Williams poems aloud, followed by remarks of what he understands in the poem, and tries to return to the friends with the varying interpretations. Then, some reflections on classroom discussions of a poem’s meaning. The difference between a literary problem and a pedagogical problem.