Mother, Any Distance - Simon Armitage

• themes of the poem

  • independence
  • aging
  • belonging
  • freedom
  • childhood
  • family ties
  • connections
• rhyme scheme of the poem

  no rhyme scheme BUT some rhyme

  • uneven rhyme scheme -> disproportionate relationship as son relies on mothers
  • similar structure to sonnet to show uncertain emotions
• structure of poem


  2x 4 line stanzas -> shows one paragraph for mother + one for son

  1x 7 line stanza -> final conclusion of the described relationship
• context for AO3

  • often writes about relatable + emotive situations with outward simplicity to engage readers
  • from his collection 'book of matched' with poems intended to be read in the time it takes for a match to burn out
• stanza 1


  'mother'

  • formal name suggest speakers attempt to mature + implement distance

  'span / hands'

  • internal rhyme shows intimacy of relationship and innate closeness

  'you ... me'

  • physically separation between poems yet mother is still first, solid figure he relies upon
• stanza 2


  'recording length. reporting metres, centimetres'

  • semantic field of measurement of time + memories together

  'back to base'

  • mother acts as home showing emotional connections
  • tape is symbolic of umbilical cord ; physical connection that is lost

  'anchor. kite'

  • contrasting images shows confused feelings + enjambment attempts to move on
• stanza 3


  'space - walk'

  • unable to place feet on the ground with certainty

  'your fingertips still pinch'

  • inability to totally forget connection with mother'

  'towards a hatch'

  • hatch is symbolic of freedom offered to him through growing up

  'sky / to fall or fly'

  • positive ending of harmonic rhyming and return to certainty