The soul is departing the body while pulling away its hem, which is why the hands are repeatedly reaching out and drawing back.

Here, the poet paints a deeply moving picture of a person's final moments, turning a physical reality into poignant poetry. The dying body's twitching hands, reaching out and pulling back, are imagined as a desperate struggle to catch the departing soul. But the soul, like a beloved slipping away into freedom, gently withdraws her hem, leaving the helpless hands grasping at nothing.