This Is the First Thing

This Is the First Thing - meaning Summary

Time as Echo

Larkin presents a sudden, stark realization about time: it is likened to the echo of an axe in a wood. The image compresses cause and aftermath—an action that has been taken and its reverberation—suggesting time as an effect of past violence or endings. The poem frames temporal experience as indirect and residual, emphasizing distance, inevitability, and the persistence of consequence rather than continuous presence.