Mother Any Distance
By Simon Armitage
A boy moving out of his family home, getting help from his mother. An allegory for the change in bond between a parents and child as the child grows old.
“You are the zero-end, me with the spool of tape”
The mother at the zero end symbolises her stability and constant presence in the son’s life.
The spool of tape emphasizes how far the son has the potential to go despite his trepidation. Illustrates the vast opportunities that will be available to him in adulthood once he takes his own independence.
Juxtaposition of direct address of “you” and the personal pronoun “me” indicates the physical separation between the speaker and his mom as he tries to find his own identity/independence.
“The line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite.”
The line feeding out and extending between them shows both the physical distance between them growing once he moves out and also the change in their relationship as he becomes more independent.
Single word metaphors of anchor and kite represent the mother and the son. She is the anchor, providing support and safety for him, and he is the kite, seeking freedom and. The comfort of her being there gives him the courage to explore.
“Towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky / to fall or fly.”
The hatch is a metaphor for adulthood, and him actively reaching to open it portrays his willingness, despite his trepidation, to enter this phase of his life. The hatch is also animal imagery, connoting birth and a start of a new life.
Adjective “endless” illustrates the freedom and opportunities that await him in adulthood.
Juxtaposition of “fall” and “fly” show the unpredictability of life