Question

twenty - one love poems (poem iii) poem by adrienne rich this poem’s speaker shows that passion does not diminish with age. analyze speaker annotate: mark references to age and time in lines 1 - 5. infer: what can you infer from these lines about the speaker’s relationship with her lover? since we’re not young, weeks have to do time for years of missing each other. yet only this odd warp in time tells me we’re not young. did i ever walk the morning streets at twenty, my limbs streaming with a purer joy? did i lean from any window over the city listening for the future as i listen here with nerves tuned for your ring? and you, you move toward me with the same tempo. your eyes are everlasting, the green spark of the blue - eyed grass of early summer, the green - blue wild cress washed by the spring. at twenty, yes: we thought we’d live forever. at forty - five, i want to know even our limits. i touch you knowing we weren’t born tomorrow, and somehow, each of us will help the other live, and somewhere, each of us must help the other die.

Explanation:

The poem mentions "we're not young" and reflects on time passed apart. Lines like "And you, you move toward me with the same tempo" suggest a long - standing, stable relationship. The speaker's reference to knowing limits at forty - five while still being connected to the lover shows a deep, enduring bond despite age.

Answer:

The speaker has a long - lasting, deep - rooted relationship with her lover, where passion remains strong despite the passage of time.