In just a few lines, this poem catches the moment when day turns into night. The first stanza looks backward. A "lost road" is where "all the afternoon went," as if the hours simply wandered off down a path and couldn't find their way back. The second stanza brings us home to the speaker's "little yard," where night "walked in," quietly, like a visitor who doesn't need to knock.
The title, "Changing of the guard," makes the shift feel like a handover: afternoon leaves its post and night takes over. The speaker doesn't sound alarmed. The mood is calm, a little wistful, and very still. There is a hint of loss in the idea of a vanished afternoon, but the small, familiar yard suggests comfort too. Night arrives as something almost personal, a presence that walks right into the speaker's own space. It's a simple observation, but it makes the passing of time feel both gentle and slightly mysterious.