"Sad Steps" Philip Larkin

"Sad Steps" immediately strikes me as a distant memory of the young days of the author's life.  A night sky filled with clouds and a clear moon can be interpreted as a memory of a young man surrounded by a group of friends.  It's as if the moon represents the happiness that the author felt as a young man and the clouds represent the distant days that once were.  The author seems to want to remember those beloved days so much only to reassure that they are still a part of him.  He’s older and his life has changed from what it once was.  He reminisces and yet he is reminded that those glorious days can never be forgotten but they will never come again.  The author then realizes that age and getting older is just a part of life and .though at times realizing it can be a sad, those cherished memories will always be a part of the author's life and his "Sad Steps" are no longer just "Sad Steps".  Those steps are now a cherished treasure of the life that has led the author to be whom and where he is as he remembers his young days.