The date in the title suggests the poem is written in the shadow of a difficult moment, though it never says what happened. Instead, the speaker gives a series of gentle instructions: don't forget, look up, think of, remember. Each one points to something in the natural world that keeps going despite loss. The river carries what it can and lets go of the rest. Crows turn scraps into glossy, beautiful feathers. Willows break and grow again.
The tone is quiet and consoling, almost like someone talking a friend through a bad night. The speaker seems to be reminding herself as much as the reader. The images move from morning-like resilience to sunset, then to the moon, and the light gets dimmer as the poem goes on. Yet the ending looks forward. The moon is only nearly full, and the speaker asks us to feel longing for the dawn. The mood is sad but steady, with hope that is modest and earned rather than loud.