Why Marry at All?

To continue my earlier post, I'll share with you the poem that we asked John's daughter to read at our wedding. This is just a little piece of Marge Piercy's "Why Marry At All?"

I love what this poem says about older couples, who could stay as they are, independent and self-sufficient—and alone—but choose to be together. Choose to make a statement of their love.

We start where we find
ourselves, at this time and place.

Which is always the crossing of roads
that began beyond the earth's curve
but whose destination we can now alter.

This is a public saying to all our friends
that we want to stay together. We want
to share our lives. We mean to pledge
ourselves through times of broken stone
and seasons of rose and ripe plum;
we have found out, we know, we want to continue.