A speaker tries to push someone away, and the reason is shame. Each time the other person moves closer, the speaker issues a new order: close your eyes, hold your breath, cover your ears. The commands run through the senses, sight, smell, then hearing, as if every part of the speaker is something the listener must be protected from. Even the speaker's voice is called a "punishment."
What stands out is that the other person keeps coming. The single word "Persistence" sits alone on its line, a quiet sign that this person isn't scared off. The speaker, though, can't accept that. The last lines are the saddest: even if the listener loves them, the speaker still insists, "I am less than you."
The mood is tense and painful, but also tender. The poem reads like a plea, and it shows how self-loathing can make love feel undeserved, even something to refuse.