McAnthony's poem follows a speaker through the end of one love and the start of another, using the image of walking hand in hand. At first the speaker tries to slow down and make the walk last, as if lingering could keep time from moving. But the closeness doesn't hold. The speaker feels near and far at once, then forgets a face and a name, and finally lets go of the hand without quite noticing.
What stands out is how little drama there is. "You're gone and I don't care" sounds almost startled, and a new hand soon takes the old one's place. The questions that follow, "Who is this person?" and "Why did I love you?", read like confusion more than anger. Crying while smiling captures the mood well: relief, guilt and sadness mixed together. The plain, repetitive lines ("I can't stop time. I can't stop life.") give the poem a quiet, accepting tone. By the end, the speaker knows the answer and simply steps into a new day.