Life is indeed short and this poem can either make you feel as if life is ticking away and taking you with it on a journey you have no control over. 'My hands are tied, my motion is slight'

On the other hand it can say, wait. Time is ticking and life may be short but enjoy it. 'Each new ticktock makes hardly a sound' to me says the passage of time can hardy be noticed over the sounds of laughter and joy to be found in life.