In the first stanza, Abse uses a caesura to separate 'my son and I' from 'The other side of the glass' - this could symbolise the division between the persona and his son or, more generally, old and young, and the reference to different sides of 'the glass' could also present this idea. Abse uses caesuras frequently within this poem, possibly to reinforce this interpretation.
Abse then uses an odd reference to 'snowflakes' which fall during a 'surprised April.' It is strange and unexpected to experience snow during springtime - this could be interpreted as a presentation of the idea that the world is unexpected and forever changing, just like an adolescent. It could symbolise the way life throws surprises at you. This interpretation links effectively with Larkin's 'First Sight' and especially the phrase within the poem: 'Earth's immeasurable surprise'. The 'whitewash' of snow could also symbolise innocence and purity, and this could suggest that the persona's son - at the age of 16 - is unspoilt, and is yet to be corrupted by things that come with maturity and the passing of time. The snow also creates an image of something blank and unmarked, as if the son in the poem has not found who he is yet due to his youth, and so 'imitates' what he sees around him.
The persona describes his son as 'an approximate man.' This suggests that he has nearly matured into a 'man' but is not quite there yet; this could be a presentation of his son grasping at maturity but not fully obtaining it (similar to 'Sons'), and how he is acting older than he is in the way that teenagers do when really, underneath this 'imitation', he is still a child. The persona also describes his son as 'my chameleon, / my soft diamond, my deciduous evergreen.' A fond, loving tone is created here and the persona appears as if he relies on his son - this is the reverse of normality, as it is usually the son who relies on their father. The persona's descriptions also hold connotations of disguise, and this could possibly be a portrayal of the son masking himself with a faked maturity when really, underneath this pretence that most teenagers undertake, the persona knows what he is really like.
A comical tone of disgust is created in the second stanza as the persona talks about his son listening to 'pop forgeries of music'. This could depict the persona looking back nostagically upon the music of his era that he used to love, and comparing it with light-hearted distaste to the modern music which his son listens to. This interpretation creates a sense of division between young and old, father and son. However, this phrase could be taken literally when looking at the next phrase: '- how hard it is to know'; the father could be discussing his son's illegal downloading of music and how he is unaware of the extent. This could be linked to how he doesn't always know what his son is doing - their is a sense of concealment and mystery regarding the life of his son. This point is carried on as he presents the possibility that his son could be 'dream[ing] of some school Juliet I don't know.'
Towards the end of the second stanza 'a blur of white blossom, whiter snow' is said to be 'gusting suddenly, despite a sky half blue'. This could again suggest the unpredictability of nature and how time is passing at a fast rate; everything is constantly changing and we, as humankind, have a lack of control. The presentation of a 'sky half blue' could be similiar to a 'cup half full' - it is possible that Abse is depicting the division between optimism and pessimism, or how things may seem good but there is always a dark cloud on the horizon. The 'blur of ... snow' again presents the idea of a blank slate and an innocence which remains until age and time corrupt the youthful.
The final stanza obtains a nostalgic tone as the persona tells of how he is 'elsewhere and the age my cool son is, / my father alive again (I, his duplicate). He appears to be remembering his past in relation to his son's present, and considering the fact that his son is alike to him in the same way that he was alike to his own father. He describes 'his high breath, my low breath, sticking to the glass', and this creates a touching image of tall and short, old and young - father and son.
'... two white butterflies stumble, held each / to each, as if by elastic, and pass.' - it could be argued that the two butterflies symbolise the relationship between father and son, and how no matter what happens it will always be a pure relationship that is unbreakable. The fact that Abse uses 'elastic' to describe the bond between them could suggest that despite the persona's son attempting to move away and find himself on his own, he will always be brought back to his father due to family/blood relations.
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