The poem tells the story of Mr. Remora, a poor, solitary man who lives in a cabin made of pallets and newspaper sheets, rides an old motorcycle, and plays waltzes on homemade records. The story is told flatly, almost like a report, and that deadpan tone is where much of the humor and sadness comes from. When he learns that low-income people can get pets neutered with public help, he dresses as a dog, shows up at the vet with food stamps, and has himself sterilized. It is absurd, but nobody in the poem laughs at him.
The short nature stanzas, with their bare tree, borrowed leaves and gray ink over green, seem to echo his situation. They suggest something stripped down, making do, and alone. The speaker never says what Mr. Remora feels, so we have to guess. Judging by the details, he is poor, childless, and perhaps resigned. The mood is quietly funny, then tender and a little bleak, as if the oddness hides loneliness.