As an autobiographical poem, this piece describes Seamus Heaney’s own experience and memory of a tragedy from his past. Though little personal detail is given about the speaker, they are reflective of their own mortality and place in the world. They revisit an old memory of a lost family member, and through it their own childhood in this rural place. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker takes a “bird’s eye view” of themself (Line 28) in their yard; this broader perspective helps them understand their mortality, advancing age, and the shadow of death that follows them.