Two figures open the poem, and both are fixated on something small. A woman sits in a blooming garden, yet she weeps over one wilted rose. A man sits in a spotless white room and stares at a single black smudge. Around each of them is beauty or perfection, but all their attention goes to the flaw.
The speaker then turns to "we," widening the picture to include everyone. We look only at the part of life we've already lived, and we miss the joy ahead because sorrow is so easy to see. The final stanza offers a gentle way out. Lift your eyes, and there's a reason to smile. Step back from the wall in front of you, and you can see a path around it.
The mood starts heavy and a little claustrophobic, especially in the empty white room, then becomes warm and encouraging. The poem's message is simple: a change in perspective can shrink a problem back to its true size.