The Span of Life

The Span of Life - meaning Summary

Memory Through a Single Gesture

This very short lyric compresses a lifetime into a single, quiet image. An old dog "barks backwards" while the speaker recalls him as a pup. The juxtaposition of present oddity and clear memory suggests the continuity and reversal of time: growth and decline coexist in a simple domestic scene. Rather than moralizing, the poem quietly registers affection, surprise, and the small elegy of aging. The final impression is less tragedy than a modest, humane awareness of how life changes around a familiar presence.