Each Second is the last — Second Childhood

From word's logic, each second childhood is the last since there is no third childhood. In real life, it's only "perhaps." This poem encourages people to treasure time, never to give up.

Each Second is the last ¹
Perhaps, recalls the Man
Just measuring unconsciousness
The Sea and Spar between.

To fail within a Chance－⁵
How terribler a thing
Than perish from the Chance's list
Before the Perishing!

(F.927/J.879)

[1] Second:: the second childhood, the state of being feeble and incapable from old age.
[2] Man:: an old man recalling his life. Perhaps:: the second childhood is the last, but man's life is not.
[4] Sea:: a rough water, rough life. Spar:: a wordy fight, dispute.
[5] fail, Chance:: the old man lost his chance of life.
[7] perish, Change's list:: unable to achieve something.
[8] Perishing:: dying, a hint on a feeble old man.
[6-8] terribler, Than:: to give up is worse than oldness.

My dear mother, who was now considerably advanced in the stage of second childhood, in her unconsciousness ow what was passing, had lost the natual timidity of her nature ─ The Citizen (1840)