1299: Hello, the Roses by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Summary

Summary of Episode 1299: "Hello, the Roses" by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
• Host/Author: American Public Media
• Host: Major Jackson
• Episode: 1299: "Hello, the Roses" by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
• Release Date: February 20, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 1299 of The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily, hosted by Major Jackson, listeners are invited to explore the intricate relationship between poetry and scientific concepts. Major Jackson opens the episode by challenging the notion that poets and scientists are at odds, emphasizing instead how poets draw inspiration from scientific advancements in fields like engineering, astronomy, and biology. This symbiotic relationship contributes to the enduring nature of poetry.

"It is said poets are perpetually at odds with scientists. But the truth is, poets have long been inspired by advances in engineering, astronomy and biology." (00:05)

Poem Overview: "Hello, the Roses"

The featured poem, "Hello, the Roses" by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, delves into the poetic exploration of light within human cells and the potential for intercommunication between plants and other life forms. The poem intricately weaves scientific terminology with vivid sensory imagery, creating a tapestry that invites readers to reflect on their connection with nature.

Key Themes and Imagery

1. Light and Cellular Biology:

   • The poem begins with the assertion that "Human cells contain light," setting the stage for a discussion on the microscopic interactions that underpin our existence.
   • This concept allows for the speculation about communication between different life forms through biological light particles.

2. Perception and Sensory Experience:

   • Berssenbrugge employs sensory language to describe the act of seeing a rose, blending visual perception with emotional and metaphysical experiences.
   • Phrases like "a color I see clairvoyantly" (01:27) and "the emotion of perfume" (01:49) illustrate the fusion of sight, smell, and emotion.

3. Embodiment and Connection:

   • The poem explores the relationship between the observer and the observed, suggesting a deep physical and spiritual connection.
   • The line "My soul radially whirls out to the edges of my body according to the same laws by which stars shine" (01:08) encapsulates the idea of universal interconnectedness.

4. Temporal and Spatial Dimensions:

   • The poet reflects on moments extending into time and the perception of light traveling at the speed of sight, indicating a seamless blend of past, present, and future.
   • "A moment extends to time passing as sense impression of a rose" (02:43) highlights this temporal fluidity.

5. Metaphorical Communication:

   • Light is used as a metaphor for communication between the self and the natural world, emphasizing the non-verbal exchanges that occur on a cellular level.
   • "The rose communicates instantly with the woman" (04:10) portrays this instantaneous connection.

Host's Insights and Commentary

Throughout the episode, Major Jackson provides insightful commentary that bridges the poem's content with broader philosophical and scientific themes.

• Poetry and Science Synergy:

  • Jackson underscores the harmony between poetic expression and scientific discovery, noting how both disciplines seek to understand and describe the world.
  • "Then experience is revelation because plants and people have in their cells particles of light that can become coherent, that radiate." (03:13)

• Embodiment and Perception:

  • He elaborates on the poet's exploration of physical perception as data of embodiment, contrasting it with the rose's perception.
  • "Physical perception is the data of my embodiment, whereas for the rose, scarlet itself is matter." (04:02)

• Emotional Resonance:

  • Jackson highlights the emotional depth conveyed in the poem, particularly how sensory experiences like scent and sight intertwine with memory and emotion.
  • "Like touching, it is so vibratory and so absorbent of my attention and longing with impressions like fingerprints all over." (03:50)

Concluding Reflections

"Hello, the Roses" serves as a meditation on the subtle and profound connections between humans and the natural world. Through its delicate interplay of scientific concepts and poetic imagery, the poem invites readers to pause and reflect on the unseen forces that bind us to our surroundings. Major Jackson adeptly guides listeners through this exploration, highlighting the enduring relevance of poetry in capturing the complexities of existence.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Human cells contain light." — Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (00:47)
• "A color I see clairvoyantly." — Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (01:27)
• "Petals and moving air, emotion of perfume." — Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (01:49)
• "Physical perception is the data of my embodiment, whereas for the rose, scarlet itself is matter." — Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (04:02)
• "Then experience is revelation because plants and people have in their cells particles of light that can become coherent, that radiate." — Major Jackson (03:13)

Conclusion

Episode 1299 of The Slowdown masterfully blends poetry and reflection, offering a profound examination of how scientific ideas can inform and enrich poetic expression. Mei-mei Berssenbrugge's "Hello, the Roses" serves as a poignant example of this interplay, encouraging listeners to engage deeply with both the natural world and their internal landscapes. Through Major Jackson's thoughtful guidance, the episode underscores the timeless relevance of poetry as a tool for understanding and connection.

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Transcript

[Unknown Speaker]

Foreign.

[Major Jackson]

I'm Major Jackson and this is the Slowdown. It is said poets are perpetually at odds with scientists. But the truth is, poets have long been inspired by advances in engineering, astronomy and biology. They often adopt their terms and apply their concepts. It is one of the secrets to poetry's longevity. Today's poem takes up the idea that.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Human cells contain light.

[Major Jackson]

This discovery makes it possible for us to theorize about communication between plants and other life forms.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Hello the Roses by mei Mae Bersenbrugge 1.

[Major Jackson]

My soul radially whirls out to the edges of my body according to the same laws by which stars shine, communicating with my body by emanation.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

When you see her, you feel the.

[Major Jackson]

Impact of what visual can mean.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Invisibility comes through of deep pink or.

[Major Jackson]

A color I see clairvoyantly.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

This felt sense at seeing the rose extends because light in the DNA of my cells receives light frequencies of the flower as a hologram, the entire rose.

[Major Jackson]

Petals and moving air, emotion of perfume.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Records as a sphere. So when I recall the emotion, I touch dimensionality. From a small bud emerges a tight wound bundle of baby skin coral petals held in a half globe as if by cupped hands. Then petals are innumerable, loose, double, sumptuous, unified. I look through parted fingers to soften my gaze so slow light shining off.

[Major Jackson]

The object is filtered.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Then with feeling I look at swift color there it's swiftness that seems still as noon light. Because my seeing travels at the same.

[Major Jackson]

Speed, I make a reciprocal balance between.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Light falling on the back of my eye to optic nerve, to pineal gland radiance, stepping down to matter and my future self opening out from this sight. A moment extends to time passing as sense impression of a rose, including new joys where imagined roses, roses I haven't seen or seen in books, record as my experience.

[Major Jackson]

Then experience is revelation because plants and people have in their cells particles of light that can become coherent, that radiate.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Out physically and also with the creativity of metaphor, as in a beam of light holographically, I.e.

[Major Jackson]

By intuition in which I inhale the.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Perfume of the bourbon rose. Then try to separate what is scent sense and what you call memory. What is emotion, where in a dialogue.

[Major Jackson]

Like touching, it is so vibratory and so absorbent of my attention and longing with impressions like fingerprints all over.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

I'm saying physical perception is the data.

[Major Jackson]

Of my embodiment, whereas for the rose.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Scarlet itself is matter. 2. The rose communicates instantly with the woman.

[Major Jackson]

By sight collapsing its boundaries.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

And the woman widens her boundaries, her.

[Major Jackson]

Rate of perception slows down because of its complexity.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

There's a feeling of touching and being touched. The shadings of color she can sense from touch. There's an affinity between awareness and blossom. The rose symbolizes the light of this self affinity. I come to visit drooping white cabbage roses at dusk. That corner of the garden glows with the quality of light I might see. When light shines through mist or in early morning reflects off water. I stand quietly and allow this quality.

[Major Jackson]

To permeate air around me.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Here, with a white rose, color is clairsentient. This color in the process of being expressed. Like seeing Venus in the day walking.

[Major Jackson]

I move in and out of negative.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Space around which each rose is engaged and become uncertain of my physical extent as an object.

[Major Jackson]

Look at the energy between people and plants.

[Mei Mae Bersenbrugge]

Your heart moves into depth perception. For depth, read speed of light. I set my intention through this sense of moving into coherence with the bio photons of a plant and generate feeling in response. A space opens and awareness gathers it in. As at night, my dream is colorless and weaves into the nuance. I can intentionally engage with the coherence of light beams instant as though lightless or the colored light of a dimension not yet arrived as our hearts are not outside. Affinity with respect to wavelength, shaping meaning, using the capacity for feeling to sense its potency in a rose and to cultivate interbeing with summer perfume.

[Major Jackson]

The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the [e-mail] to get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter. Find us on Instagram @downdownshow and bluesky.downdownshow dot.