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Remiss catches a small scene of social contempt at the beach, reducing judgment to a glance and a single word.

Its minimalism makes it sting. The poem is less about argument than about the speed of class or personality judgment, and the title 'Remiss' gives the speaker's quiet witness a tone of belated recognition.

A celebrity glimpse compressed to gossip: from the beach the speaker overhears 'Frank' call 'Steve Mc / a snob', the whole drama carried 'right out / of the corner / of his eye'. The sidelong glance and the broken-off surname keep the scene casual, while the title 'Remiss' hints that the speaker faults himself, or Frank, for the small unkindness witnessed.