What metaphors are used in The Missing by Thom Gunn?

While mimicking a statue may be an attempt at serf-preservation, ultimately it threatens and unsettles the speaker's well-being, and thus, the strategy becomes unacceptable: "I do not like the statue's chill contour." Metaphorically turning the self into stone only results in blocking "the warmth investing" the speaker that has ultimately led to this thriving network of friends. In this light, the statue becomes an image of cowardice and isolation.