before you were mine

• 'marilyn' - reference to marilyn monroe who is a worldwide symbol of beauty and glam. her life was cut short which is a demonstration of how motherhood ruins the glam of youth.
• 'stamping stars on the wrong pavement' - reference to hollywood walk of fame shows her potential. the contrast with right path from the last stanza shows that she feels that having children was the wrong choice for her mum.
• 'your ghost clatters toward me' - ghost shows that the old version of her mother is gone. clatters shows her as clumsy and lack of control which shows having a child has changed her. adresses mum directly as she feels now she is older she can understand her better.