Woodson's use of the word "zapped" apropos of the speaker's conceptions signifies that their disappearance was instantaneous. Given that these notions regarded his mother's demise, toward whom he presumably was highly affectionate, and he was intending to write poetry, necessitating profound and often introspective thought, one may conjecture that these ideas had great psychological magnitude; thus, the fact that such significant thoughts were erased so suddenly and completely by an argument that did not concern him—a menial extraneous phenomenon—illuminates that diversions can effortlessly alter one's intentions or how they are executed.

Given that lightning is associated with destructive capabilities and spontaneous manifestation, the author's assertion that these men's assertions have, metaphorically speaking, "forked no lightning" indicates that they have not sparked controversy destructive enough to end their lives (engender their entry into "that good night"); given that this poem was composed in 1947, two years after World War II's cessation, this could perhaps refer to Britain's stringent regulations on treachery and censorship around World War II and the massive penalties associated with it, encouraging people to "wisely" adhere to this legislation for self-preservation.