1340: From the Sky by Sara Abou Rashed

Summary

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The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode 1340: From the Sky by Sara Abou Rashed
Host: Maggie Smith
Date: August 28, 2025

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Overview

In this reflective episode, Maggie Smith addresses the overwhelming heartbreak caused by daily news of violence and conflict worldwide. She explores poetry’s unique role in restoring empathy and humanity, sharing Sara Abou Rashed’s poem “From the Sky” (inspired by Federico García Lorca’s “Farewell”). The episode dwells on how poetry, though unable to directly resolve suffering, reconnects us to compassion and hope on a personal level.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Burden of Witnessing Global Conflict

• Maggie opens by acknowledging the emotional toll of constant exposure to violence in news reports.
• She voices uncertainty and helplessness about taking effective action, noting that efforts (protests, donations, advocacy) often feel inadequate.
  • “I am trying to do good, but I'm certainly not doing enough, it seems. I don't even know what enough would look like. It's a helpless feeling.” (Maggie Smith, 01:30)

The Loss of Humanity in Modern Times

• Maggie expresses concern about increasing “lack of empathy, a lack of perspective, and a lack of care” in society, especially as seen in recent headlines.
  • “If we lose our humanity, we lose. Period.” (Maggie Smith, 02:30)

Poetry as a Restoration of Empathy

• While poetry doesn’t wield power to stop destruction, Maggie underlines its transformative effect on individuals:
  • “I know poetry can't stop bombs from falling, and it can't feed the starving, and it can't evacuate people to safety. I know this. But poetry can change our inner world. We need that change, one person at a time. We need to reclaim our humanity." (Maggie Smith, 03:16)
• She introduces today's poem as a tool for “foster[ing] empathy, perspective, and care.”

Honoring Inspiration: Lorca’s "Farewell"

• Maggie reads “Farewell” by Federico García Lorca (translated by Jenny Minetti Shippy) aloud, noting its influence on today's featured poem.
  • “If I die, leave the balcony open...” (Lorca, 04:05; Maggie reads full poem)

Reading of "From the Sky" by Sara Abou Rashed

• Smith praises Rashed’s poetic strategy: borrowing structure from Lorca, but shifting the scene to Palestine and the sky as a symbol of peace and universality.
• Full reading of the poem, “From the Sky.”
  • "When I die, bury me in the sky. No one is fighting over it..." (Sara Abou Rashed, 05:10-06:25, read by Maggie Smith)

The Sky as Unclaimed & Sacred Space

• Maggie highlights the poem’s upward gaze: the sky as an uncontested, peaceful place amid violent, disputed ground.
• She appreciates the poem's subtle layering—seeing daily life and conflict together, all observed “from the sky.”

Final Reflection

• Maggie’s closing sentiment underscores the vital necessity to “reclaim our humanity,” one intimate act—like reading or writing poetry—at a time.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On news fatigue & action:

  • “Once witnessed, you can't unsee what you've seen or unknow what you know. Maybe, like me, you aren't sure what to do.” (Maggie Smith, 01:00)

• On the role of poetry:

  • “But poetry can change our inner world. We need that change, one person at a time.” (Maggie Smith, 03:21)

• On the peacefulness of the sky (via the poem):

  • “When I die, bury me in the sky. No one is fighting over it...For now it is quiet. No one owns it and no one is claiming to.” (Sara Abou Rashed, read by Maggie Smith, 06:05)

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Key Segments & Timestamps

• Opening personal reflection on news and heartbreak: 00:50–02:50
• On the loss of humanity & reclaiming it: 02:50–03:30
• Why poetry matters in dark times: 03:30–04:10
• Introduction to and reading of Lorca’s “Farewell”: 04:10–05:00
• Context for Sara Abou Rashed's "From the Sky": 05:00–05:10
• Full reading of "From the Sky": 05:10–06:25
• Final thoughts on empathy and humanity: 06:25–07:00

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Tone & Style

Maggie Smith’s delivery is gentle, thoughtful, and earnest, inviting the listener to pause and sink into both sorrow and hope. Her reflections carry a sense of shared vulnerability and an abiding belief in poetry’s small, steady power to heal.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Slowdown gracefully navigates despair and hope, offering listeners both raw witness to suffering and a poetic reminder of empathy’s enduring possibility. “From the Sky” by Sara Abou Rashed serves as a lyrical bridge—from the earth’s wounds to a sky unclaimed, unscarred, and still belonging to all.

Transcript

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I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slow down if you're like me, your heart has been broken by the news more times than you can count. If you're like me, you can hardly process the horrifying images you see on a daily basis from wars abroad and from violence across the United States. Once witnessed, you can't unsee what you've seen or unknow what you know. Maybe, like me, you aren't sure what to do. Maybe you protest. Maybe you call your representatives. Maybe you donate to an aid organization. I am trying to do good, but I'm certainly not doing enough, it seems. I don't even know what enough would look like. It's a helpless feeling. But I keep trying. There's no alternative. I'm not a historian or a scholar. I don't know what the solutions to these conflicts might be in Palestine, in Ukraine, and yes, here in the United States. But I believe that if we lose our humanity, we lose. Period. The news cycle lately has been particularly brutal because what I see day after day, headline after headline, is just that, humans losing their humanity. I see a lack of empathy, a lack of perspective, and a lack of care. When I think about ways to foster empathy, perspective and care, one of those ways is poetry. I know poetry can't stop bombs from falling, and it can't feed the starving, and it can't evacuate people to safety. I know this. But poetry can change our inner world. We need that change, one person at a time. We need to reclaim our humanity. Today's poem was inspired by another poem, Farewell, by Federico Garcia Lorca. I want to share that poem with you first so you can hear the echoes from one poem to the next. This translation from the Spanish is by Jenny Minetti Shippy Farewell by Federico Garcia Lorca if I die, leave the balcony open. The boy is eating oranges. From my balcony I see him. The reaper sighs the wheat from my balcony I feel it. If I die, leave the balcony open. Today's poem by Sarah Abu Rashed, a Palestinian American poet, borrows some of the sentence structure and repetition from that poem. As you'll hear, I admire the way she acknowledges the deadly struggle in Palestine and how she turns her eyes upward to an unclaimed and uncontested space. The sky from the sky by Sarah Abu Rashed After Lorca When I die, bury me in the sky. No one is fighting over it. Children are playing soccer with empty bombshells. From the sky I can see them. A grandmother is baking her Eid Maruta and Mamul. From the sky I can taste them. Teens are writing love letters under an orange tree. From the sky I can read them. Soldiers are cocking new rifles at the checkpoint. From the sky I can hear them under fire Death and water are brewing in the kitchen. From the sky I can smell them. When I die, bury me in the sky, I said. For now it is quiet. No one owns it and no one is claiming to. The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. To get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter. And find us on Instagram @downdownshow and blueskylowdownshow.org.

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[D]

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