Notice that the whole poem is in a single sentence, punctuated by commas.

It indicates a single thread of thought interspersed with observations of the real world around and the way these are connected to the main idea. The poem is actually a product of the stream of consciousness technique which relies on a train of thoughts, perceived through certain images, imageries and realized through epiphanies. The poet represents the vivacity and loudness of adulthood through images of “merry children spilling out of their homes” and tries to continue on the consistent, unending motion of time through another image of the “sprinting” of young, green trees. Thus, we find the transition in time through serially connected images, which take us to the image of the “dozing” old mother who has developed a pale, corpse-like face in her old age and on the verge of entering death. The image of “standing a few yards” depicts a shift away from the time and sailing down through time to reach to a stage of maturity where the poet comes to terms with the natural laws of aging and death. Thus, the poet tries to portray her transformation through a chain of small, compact images. There is a transition not only in physical time but also a metamorphosis of the mind which is achieved through this single, uninterrupted transportation of the mind from an early age of non-conformity to the natural laws to the present stage of understanding and maturity.