Imitations

I believe that 'Imitations' by Abse is about family and the intimacy within relationships between parent and child. I believe that the main themes in this poem are family, love and relationships. This therefore links to another poem by Dannie Abse called 'Sons' as both poems link to the same idea.
I feel that 'Imitations' can be linked to 'Dockery and Son' by Larkin as they both talk about family however, Abse reflects on family in a positive way whereas Larkin is quite negative towards the idea of family. You can also link 'Afternoons' in with 'Imitations' as they are both focus on children and the parents connection.
One thing that I found interesting about this poem was the line "He is my chameleon, my soft diamond, my delicious evergreen". This is a rule of three which refelcts how much his son means to him. He also uses a metaphor with each description which provides quite a calming and peaceful image.