The poem is a few quick glimpses of a woman putting on a show of normality. The first image is striking: a wig "like a genteel crow." It suggests something dark and bird-like, yet dressed up as polite and refined. The wig is part of the effort she makes to look presentable "to eat with her husband," so even a meal becomes a kind of performance.
Then the poem shifts to the husband. His "let-go hand" could mean a hand that has dropped hers, or one that has simply gone slack. Either way, it hints at distance, or at some loss of grip. "His patent on ice" is harder to pin down. One reading is that his claim to something solid or permanent is really set on a slippery surface, so nothing is secure.
The mood is quiet, sad, and a little wry. The speaker doesn't spell out feelings, but the oddly elegant, fragile images suggest tenderness mixed with unease. Judging by the title, the poem is about how much effort goes into holding up a front.