Mother, Any Distance

• 'Mother, any distance greater than a single span’

  By addressing his mother as ‘mother’ rather than a more informal name may suggest the speaker is trying to mature and place distance between him and his mother. ‘Mother’ being the opening word foreshadows her significance in both the poem and the speaker’s life. Hands and span is only a half rhyme which implies the dislocation between the speaker and his mother. He still needs another pair of hands to help him which reveals despite his quest for independence he is still reliant on his mother in some ways.
• ‘You come to help me measure…acres…prairies’

  Whilst the pronouns “you” and “me” are physically separated in this line, the sentiment of it suggests the reliance the son still has on his mother. It's a daunting task for the speaker, with the length of the list of items to be measured showing how much there is to be done. Furthermore, the use of an asyndetic list demonstrates the way in which the process feels almost endless. The speaker uses hyperbole and  metaphors: "acres" and "prairies" which relate to vast, open spaces which hints at adventure and exploration.
• ‘zero-end’ 


  The visual image of the tape as a link between the mother and son acts as a metaphor for an umbilical cord, a physical connection between the mother and son which has now been lost. He is moving away from her both physically and emotionally. His mother is at the “zero end” because she was there at the start of his life. She is his base, symbolic of home, of the tape measure, and this may imply that they will always retain some kind of emotional connection. The semantic field of measurement may be symbolic of measuring the time and memories the pair have shared together
• ‘Anchor. Kite.’ 


  The poet uses the metaphors “Anchor. Kite.” to highlight the frustration of the child. They describe their mother as an “anchor” which could imply that they view her as a weight which is dragging them down and holding them back in life because, as a “kite”, the child just wants to fly and experience freedom. This could be viewed as frustration at the mother’s unwillingness to let go, implying that whilst the child believes they are ready to grow up and leave, their mother still believes it is her duty to keep their child grounded and safe.
• ‘space walk’ 


  The use of space imagery reflects how he feels that being on his own is an exciting adventure but it’s also daunting and scary. It emphasises that this is a new and risky experience for him.
• ‘fall or fly’

  At the end of the poem, ‘Mother, Any Distance’, the poet uses natural imagery of “an endless sky” in which “to fall or fly” to emphasise the endless possibilities and opportunities available to a child once they are allowed the freedom to grow up. The ultimatum “to fall or fly” extends the bird imagery established earlier in the poem and creates a tense atmosphere but now appears to hint at a positive attitude of understanding since the narrator now knows that he has to take this leap of faith to see whether he will succeed or fail in his quest for independence in life.
• Structure 


  The speaker talks about how he needs his mother in the first stanza. In the second stanza he begins to explore independence, and in the last stanza he understands that “something/Has to give” if he’s going to be independent. The poem ends with the reader unsure whether he will “fall” or “fly”.
• Form


  The poem is loosely written in the form of a sonnet – sonnets are traditionally used for love poetry, so this choice of form shows that the speaker still loves his mother. Unlike a sonnet, the poem has an irregular rhyme scheme – this reflects the narrator’s feeling of uncertainty. The uneven lines of the last stanza reflect how the bond between mother and son is reaching “breaking point”.