Told like a short story, the poem follows a boy who grows up with a mother who is rarely there. He learns to take care of himself, and the poem sums up his childhood bluntly: "No good, all bad." He is "strong but weak," tough on the surface but hurt underneath, and he keeps everyone at a distance because being alone is all he knows.
The turning point comes when his mother finally tries, clumsily, to give him the care he wanted. He walks away. The mother is left asking where she went wrong, and the poem calls her "oblivious," though it also calls the boy "close minded," so neither side is let off completely. The ending is more hopeful. He grows up and gives his own kids what he never had, and they return it as love, hope and family. The mood starts cold and guarded, as the title hints, then slowly warms. The poem suggests that a painful childhood doesn't have to repeat itself.