Transcript

I’m Major Jackson and this is The Slowdown.

It’s summer, and you know what’s happening every weekend, probably even right at this moment? Two people are facing each other in their finest duds, holding hands, and professing an enduring promise of love, before their families and friends, who are also in their finest duds. Yes, people: ‘Tis the season of weddings! In years past, I’ve poured libations; I’ve even read a poem, but this summer, I have the privilege and am hugely excited to officiate the nuptials of our friend and digital producer of The Slowdown, James Napoli and fiancé Britta Greene. Regarding, I’ll just say this: Love is an unrestrained force of tenderness and light in our world.

Today’s poem hilariously captures that gorgeous intertwining of life, friends, and possessions that results from two people coming together.

Stereo
by Anne Waldman

Marriage marriage is like you say everything everything in stereo stereo fall fall on the 
bed bed at dawn dawn because you work work all night. Night is an apartment. Meant
to be marriage. Marriage is an apartment & meant people people come in in because
when when you marry marry chances are there will be edibles edibles to eat at tables
tables in the house. House will be the apartment which is night night. There there will
be a bed bed & an extra bed bed a clean sheet sheet sheet or two two for guests guests 
one extra towel. Extra towel. How will you be welcomed? There will be drinks drinks
galore galore brought by armies of guests guests casks casks of liquors liquors & brandies
brandies elixirs sweet & bitter bitter bottle of Merlot Merlot Bustelo coffee. Will you
have some when I offer. When you are married married there will be handsome gifts for
the kitchen kitchen sometimes two of every thing. Everything is brand brand new new.
Espresso coffee cups, a Finnish plate, a clock, a doormat, pieces of Art. And books of 
astonishing Medical Science with pictures. Even richer lexicons. When you are married 
married there will be more sheets sheets & towels towels arriving arriving & often often
a pet pet or two two. You definitely need a telephone & a cellphone when you are
married married. Two two two two lines lines lines lines. You need need separate 
separate electronic mail electronic mail accounts accounts. When you are married 
married you will have sets sets of things things, of more sheets & towels matching, you
will have duplicates of things, you will have just one tablecloth. When you are married
married you will be responsible when neighbors neighbors greet you. You will smile 
smile in unison unison or you might say he is fine, she is fine, o she is just down with a 
cold, o he is consoling a weary traveler just now, arrived from across the Plains. She my
husband is due home soon, he my wife is busy at the moment, my husband he is very
very busy busy at the moment moment this very moment. Meant good-bye, good-bye. 
When you are married married sex sex will happen happen without delay delay. You will
have a mailbox mailbox & a doorbell doorbell. Bell bell ring ring it rings rings again a 
double time. You do not have to answer. That’s sure for when you are married people
people understand understand you do not not have to answer answer a doorbell doorbell
because sex sex may happen happen without delay delay. You will hear everything twice,
through your ears & the ears of the other. Her or him as a case case may be be. He & he
& she & she as a case case may be may be. When you are married married you can play 
play with names names & rename yourself if you like. You can add a name, have a double
name with a hyphen if you like. You can open joint accounts when you are married. 
Marriage is no guarantee against depression. A shun is no guarantee against anything.
Marriage is no guarantee against resolution. Revolution is a tricky word word. Here, you
hear here? Marriage is sweeter sweeter than you think. Think.

“Stereo” by Anne Waldman from MARRIAGE: A SENTENCE © 2000, Anne Waldman. Used by permission of Penguin Random House.