The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily 1437: Now that we’ve been married all these years, by Keetje Kuipers
Jan 19, 2026
Explore the profound theme of life transitions as past experiences shape our present. The speaker reflects on the elusive nature of ‘before times’—memories of events like marriage and parenthood that create clear demarcations in life. Personal histories feel foggy, especially when it comes to past relationships. This insight sets the stage for a moving poem about the transformative power of long-term love and the difficulty of imagining life without a partner.
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Life Marked By Befores And Afters
- Life divides into clear before-and-after eras that reshape identity and perspective.
- Maggie Smith says the past remains with us because it changes who we are now.
Difficulty Imagining Life Before Children
- Maggie Smith shares that she struggles to imagine life before her children and previous marriages.
- She emphasizes that her present life feels right and she does not want to return to earlier times.
Concrete Images Convey Inevitability
- The poem uses vivid, surprising images to show love making ordinary things part of one's devotion.
- Images like banner planes and melted ice cream convey inevitability in the speaker's love.