"Long Distance II" is a continuation of an earlier poem Harrison wrote about his father, called "Long Distance I." The speaker begins by recalling his father's grief after his wife (the speaker's mother) died:
Though my mother was already two years dead
Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas,
These opening lines illustrate the father's deep love for his wife, a love that didn't just dissipate when he lost her. While she was alive, he was thoughtful and considerate toward her. For example, he kept her slippers warm for her in chilly weather, so her feet wouldn't be cold in the morning. ("The gas" here refers to a gas stove or heater in their home.) But he didn't—or couldn't—stop trying to take care of her after she died. Even "years" later, he kept going through these familiar motions. He didn't just momentarily forget that his wife was gone; he actively strove to keep her memory alive by behaving as if she were still there.
Notice how /d/ alliteration and consonance create a slant, internal rhyme between "dead" and "Dad." This connection highlights both the poem's subject (the speaker's father) and its central theme (death and grief).
The speaker's father kept doing other things for his late wife as well. He slid "hot water bottles" into the side of the bed where she once slept, as if she might still want the covers warm, and "went to renew her transport pass," as if she might still use it for travel. Indeed, it seems that although his wife had been dead for quite some time, his life still revolved around her.
The poem is a Meredithian sonnet: a 16-line variation on the traditional 14-line sonnet, pioneered by the Victorian poet George Meredith. Its 16 lines are split into four quatrains (four-line stanzas) that follow an ABAB rhyme scheme (with the exception of the last stanza, which follows an ABBA rhyme scheme). The structured stanzas and rhyme scheme make the poem inviting, musical, and easy to read. Harrison was known for using increasingly direct, colloquial language as his career went on, and this poem showcases the accessibility he strove for in his work.