Understanding the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy

The speaker is initially looking at a photo and reminiscing about their mother’s life before she had children. The mother's life seemed glamorous, rebellious and full of promise before the speaker was born. The speaker feels her birth made her mother's life more mundane due to the responsibilities of parenthood. Duffy is a feminist writer who often criticises conventional and restrictive roles for women. This poem is semi-autobiographical, based on photographs of Duffy’s mother as a young woman.