Mother any distance greater than a single span'

1
Mother any distance greater than a single
span.

• This piece is about distance between mother and
  son, how it grows as he grows and leaves home,
  but how they remain joined too.
• What references to distance occur in the poem?
  How is distance which is growing suggested in the
  opening two lines?
• Rhyme is often used to connect elements in a
  poem. Where do the rhymes fall and why?
• Note the metaphor in lines 3 and 4. Why does
  Armitage use this imagery?
• Why do you think he describes his mother in terms
  of reporting back to base and the zero-end?

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• 5. Why does Armitage break up lines 6 7 as he
  does? (Consider the word the break falls on.)
• 6. How is the growing distance made clear in
  line 7 8?
• 7. Identify other metaphors in line 8. What are
  the connotations of these?
• 8. What is the eventual outcome of this imagery
  in lines 10 and 11? What is this saying about
  their relationship? How is this shown by the
  page layout?
• 9. From line 13 onwards, what does the endless
  sky represent?
• 10. Why is the last line given a line by itself?