The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Today’s poem is Summer Strawberries by Cat Wei. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “We move through life with so many doors opening and closing all around us. One of the gifts and burdens of being human is being aware of time, and impermanence, and our own mortality. That awareness keeps us grateful for what we have, but it can also make us fearful to lose wh...

Today’s poem is Guava Jelly by Quinn Franzen. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Sometimes, as we see in today’s poem, even when things are difficult, even just the smallest bit of sweetness helps.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

Today’s poem is Wabi-Sabi by Catherine Esposito Prescott. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem invites us to celebrate what is, rather than what could be — so it invites us to accept ourselves exactly as we are.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

Today’s poem is Someday by Mary Oliver. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “You have one of our listeners to thank for today’s poem — well, one of our listeners for suggesting it, and the beloved Mary Oliver for writing it.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

Today’s poem is Panegyric by Leila Farjami. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Poems that engage with war and grief are texts that communicate to us in ways that news articles about war, and loss, and grief cannot. An article might tell us what happened, who died, how many casualties there were. It should provide facts as to who, what, where, when, and how....

Today’s poem is Assistance by Abbie Kiefer. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I famously have a brown thumb, as they call it. For as much as I love trees and appreciate flowers when I see them, I haven’t thought to plant and tend to them myself. For as much as I love fresh cucumber and zucchini and herbs, I’ve never planted them. Maybe someday that will cha...

Today’s poem is What I Wanted to Keep Private by Melissa Crowe. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I think self-compassion is the most challenging kind of compassion. We are so hard on ourselves, aren’t we? We humans carry around so much guilt and shame. We ruminate about breakups and arguments. We think about the things we said in anger that we wish we coul...

Today’s poem is bilingual by Mckendy Fils-Aimé. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “You know we love language at The Slowdown. We spend time every weekday celebrating the power of words! And language isn’t just a tool for communication or self-expression, it’s a part of who we are. Language and culture are deeply intertwined. Language connects us to our elder...

Today’s poem is Young Widow at the Kitchen Window by Donna Spruijt-Metz. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “We know holidays and anniversaries will be difficult: Mother’s Day after you lose your mom, birthdays after your loved one is gone, Thanksgiving with the family around the table and some beloveds missing. We know this pain. But grief isn’t something we...

Today’s poem is Return Path by Lesley Wheeler. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “The multiple repetitions and the circular nature of the villanelle make it a good form for poems that grapple with an insistent memory, an unresolved emotion, or a feeling of being trapped. But the form can be a container for any kind of subject matter in which repetition feels...

Today’s poem is Listening to Vespertine for Twenty Hours Straight by Derrick Austin. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “If you’re lucky, you have friends who might sense the shift in your emotional weather: the clouds rolling in, the sky darkening. If you’re very lucky, those friends might know what to do without being asked or prompted. They might come over...

Today’s poem is So Much Space for Song by James Crews. Sharing poetry is a two-way street. So today, you'll be hearing a poem selected by one of our listeners. Today’s selection was submitted by Rekha from Washington, D.C. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Rekha reflects… “Today's poem shows us that we are part of nature. We always tend to think of birds and animals and in...

Today’s poem is Gratification to the survivors of daily damnations by Oladejo Abdullah Feranmi. Sharing poetry is a two-way street. So today, you'll be hearing a poem selected by one of our listeners. Today’s selection was submitted by Abdulmueed from Oyo, Nigeria. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Abdulmueed reflects… “Today's poem is an invitation for you to live more fr...

Today’s poem is Florida Doll Sonnet by Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton. Sharing poetry is a two-way street. So today, you'll be hearing a poem selected by one of our listeners. Today’s selection was submitted by J.D. from Texas. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, J.D. reflects… “Today's poem is a cheeky tableau of a grocery store where we get to see what we present to the...

Today’s poem is Late Work by Andrés Cerpa. Sharing poetry is a two-way street. So today, you'll be hearing a poem selected by one of our listeners. Today’s selection was submitted by Meghan from Pennsylvania. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Meghan reflects… “Today's poem is determined to be hopeful in a way, and it's a kind of hope that seems to exist among all of it.” T...

Today’s poem is All Trains Are Going Local by Timothy Liu. Sharing poetry is a two-way street. So today, you'll be hearing a poem selected by one of our listeners. Today’s selection was submitted by Prerna from Assam, India. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Prerna reflects… “Today's poem takes me back to the timelessness of the pandemic. After reading this poem, I started...

Today’s poem is Articulation of Solace by Yongyu Chen. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I’ve read a lot of books over the years, and some have fundamentally changed not only the way I write but the way I think. I mean books that broke everything wide open for me, showing me possibilities — in form, and in content — that I couldn’t access before. Today’s po...

Today’s poem is Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Wherever you live, you don’t have to be nice. But please be kind. We need more genuine, altruistic kindness in this world. So, how can you be more kind? By helping others without being performative about it, and without needing recognition. By letting people know you’re thinking...

Today’s poem is Nobody's Job by Ronna Bloom. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “We call an ending “resonant” because it does what a bell does: After it’s rung, the vibration lingers. It reverberates. It sticks with you long after you’ve read the piece, humming in your head. Today’s poem is beautiful start to finish, but the ending astonished me. It moved me...

Today’s poem is When you have to remind me to do the dishes by Isaac Pickell. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “When I think back to my own upbringing and what I learned from my mother and father, almost none of it has to do with growing up as a girl. I got my work ethic, sense of humor, and sense of fairness from both of them. I remind myself of all of tha...

Today’s poem is Mother Church No. 3 by Robin Coste Lewis. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “It’s incredible to me that less than two hours from my home in the Midwestern suburbs is an enormous ancient earthwork. But that’s the thing about history — it layers on top of itself in unexpected ways. No matter where you live in the United States, you live on land...

Today’s poem is Laurelhurst by David Biespiel. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem makes its many, intentional observations at the pace of a good, long walk.” This show is made possible by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

Today’s poem is The Interpretation of Dreams by Kate Farrell. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “The grand adventures or scary disasters that happen in our sleep are most interesting to the dreamers themselves, because a dream is a window into the subconscious. It’s a little peek into what your mind is actually chewing on, maybe without you even realizing it...

Today’s poem is Thirst Trap by Caleb Curtiss. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “People post seductive selfies for all kinds of reasons. They might want validation in the forms of likes and comments. They might be single and hoping to meet someone online. They might be trying to build a following, or promote a product. Someone’s face or body is going to grab...

Today’s poem is You're Supposed to Enjoy Dying by Colin Pope. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “There are so many things to fear — spiders, snakes, heights, deep water, the dark. I have a friend who is so fearful of rats, you can’t even say the word in her presence. I’d say that most of these fears are rational. Snakes and spiders can bite, and some are ven...