In just five short lines, the speaker imagines splitting into a pair, and the title, "Bilateral," hints at that doubling. One half is the living self, and the other is a companion made of mortality: a "clock" that counts time and a "corpse" that points to the body's eventual end. The speaker doesn't flinch from these. Instead, "my clock and I, / my corpse and I" sets them side by side like travelling partners, almost like friends.
What stands out is the last line: "greedy to see." Instead of dread, the speaker feels hunger and curiosity. Knowing time is limited seems to sharpen the appetite for looking at the world. The word "greedy" is a little surprising, since it suggests wanting more than one's share, and that makes the speaker's eagerness feel honest and human.
The mood is calm, lightly dark, and oddly energetic. Death is present, but it isn't the focus. It becomes the thing that makes the journey feel urgent and worth taking.