Talking in Bed by Philip Larkin

Talking in Bed by Philip Larkin
                                       'Talking in bed ought to be easiest'
  A bed for a married couple is a place of tranquillity where both feel most connected, but in this particular relationship 'talking in bed ought to be easiest.' This gives the impression that talking to his wife is difficult, suggesting not only an absence of intimacy but the connection they once had has been lost. 
                                       'Lying together there goes back so far'
The word 'lying' has an ambiguous meaning as this could mean the married couple have been lying together in bed for many years. However, it could suggest untruthfulness between the couple which has been going on for many years, leaving the couple detached from one another.
                      'Yet more and more time passes silently, Outside, the wind's incomplete unrest'
Larkin uses nature as a metaphoric device to describe the ups and downs of the marriage. More time 'passes silently' meaning the couple have lost the ability to communicate, therefore they don't say anything. The wind's 'incomplete unrest' is a symbol of the couple's relationship as it's in a constant state of turmoil. Likewise, "Builds and disperses" could be a metaphor for an argument as tension builds, and then 'disperses' meaning the argument has been unresolved. Larkin uses pathetic fallacy and his love of nature to show the atmosphere and tension between the married couple.
                                             'Dark towns heap up on the horizon'
Larkin uses landscape to convey the relationship as the 'dark town' is miserable and bleak. The horizon indicates the couple's knowledge of their relationship, they realise their love has come to an end and there is nothing they can do to change it. 
                                   'It becomes still more difficult to find words at once true and kind'
Larkin describes how the individuals have nothing left to say one another, they are unable to lie and say 'kind' things, so they don't say anything. Larkin shows how the relationship is not actively woring anymore, the couple find it difficult to find words that are not 'untrue and not unkind' conveying the image of isolation. The individuals are civil to each other because they no longer feel the sincere love they once did, therefore the words become more and more harder to find. Larkin conveys the message that sometimes it is too late to make things better as some relationships are not meant to be, meaning you're left with the displeasing tensions that grow apparent.