"Mother, Any Distance Greater Than a Single Span" is not the only poem in Book of Matches that deals with family relationships. "My Father Thought It Bloody Queer" showcases how the speaker's relationship with his father has changed over the years. As a teenager, the speaker asserted his independence by getting his ear pierced against his father's wishes. Now a twenty-nine-year-old man, the speaker looks back on his halfhearted rebellion and understands his father's position on the matter.
The speakers in both "Mother, Any Distance Greater Than a Single Span" and "My Father Thought It Bloody Queer" wish to make their own decisions, but the difference is that the speaker in "My Father Thought It Bloody Queer" is an adult looking back on an encounter with his father with a clearer understanding of where his father was coming from. Contrastingly, the speaker in "Mother, Any Distance Greater Than a Single Span" is approaching adulthood with an eagerness to cut the childhood cord of connection he has with his mother. The use of colloquial language in "My Father Thought It Bloody Queer" also distinguishes the poem, giving the speaker and his father a strong sense of character.
