The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Host: Maggie Smith
Episode 1401: “LeaveTaking” by Rita Dove
Date: November 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Maggie Smith uses the poem “LeaveTaking” by Rita Dove to explore the concept of alienation, belonging, and the universal human experience of feeling like an outsider. Smith reflects on language—particularly the word “alien”—and its connotations, before reading Dove’s vivid, evocative poem, which envisions the nuances of otherness through a dreamlike lens.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Defining “Alien” and the Power of Otherness

• [01:29] Maggie Smith introduces the theme by analyzing the several meanings of the word “alien”:
  • Extraterrestrial (“like ET from the classic Spielberg film”)
  • A foreigner
  • The adjective: “strange or foreign,” sometimes even “unfamiliar and disturbing.”
• Smith draws attention to the implications:
  • “What all of these definitions have in common is otherness. The language suggests a lack of belonging and even a lack of being welcome in a place.”
• Reflection on Human Nature:
  • “As humans, we have a familiarity bias, which is to say we have an ugly knack for rejecting difference. No wonder people new to a place try to assimilate, to blend in.”
• She connects this to the experience of many and frames the poem as an exploration of these feelings through an imagined extraterrestrial perspective.

Reading & Exploration of “LeaveTaking” by Rita Dove

• [03:00] Smith reads “LeaveTaking,” a poem that blends the everyday (watching a film with a child) with the surreal (transforming into an alien observer on Earth).
• Imagery and themes:
  • The narrator finds herself at a pool, observing humans, feeling apart yet trying to “blend in.”
  • There’s a tension between wanting to be seen and the fear of exposure.
  • The poem crescendos with the alien’s “pickup”—a return to their realm, leaving the humans behind.
• Highlights from the poem (selected quotes for context):

  • On feeling out of place:

    “What a curious sensation, being the stranger. If I thought about it too long, I would be seen for what I was, but try too hard to blend in. I might forget myself and miss my pickup and be stranded forever.” — Rita Dove, read by Maggie Smith [04:20]

  • A wry observation of humanity:

    “Oh, I liked humans well enough, although they were immature, the old ones dreaming the same dreams to the end, the young ones trying to forget they were headed there too, always fretting over their bodies, working out, cursing and cooing.” — Rita Dove, read by Maggie Smith [05:00]

  • On the climactic return:

    “Suddenly all the humans were staring at me, or maybe the idea of us before I was zipped up and we were lifting into the universe, pouring into our true shapes, translucence, then nothing at all.” — Rita Dove, read by Maggie Smith [06:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the function of poetry:

  “Poetry is one of the greatest tools we have to wield our own attention — to consider our own lives and the lives of others, to help us live creatively and compassionately, to use that attention to lean into wonder, and joy, and truth, and to find hope — to keep hoping.” — Maggie Smith [00:00]*
  (from podcast description and echoed in Smith’s closing remarks)

• On the universality of alienation:

  “No wonder people new to a place try to assimilate, to blend in.” — Maggie Smith [02:45]

• On dreaming and empathy:
  Smith’s introduction and the poem itself invite listeners to step into another’s perspective and to embrace the potential of “dreaming our way” into understanding.

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [01:29] – Maggie Smith’s introduction and reflection on “alien”
• [03:00] – Reading of “LeaveTaking” by Rita Dove
• [04:20–06:05] – Notable moments from the poem: the alien perspective, observations of humanity, and the final transformation/return

Tone and Style

Maggie Smith’s delivery is gentle, reflective, and deeply compassionate. She guides listeners with warmth and thoughtfulness, attuned both to the poetry and to the universal themes of belonging and difference.

Conclusion

This episode of The Slowdown gently steers listeners toward empathy through asking what it’s like to feel strange, alien, or out of place. By layering careful reflection with Rita Dove’s luminous poem, Smith encourages us to notice the “others” among us and, perhaps, discover our own standing on that boundary of belonging.

Note: Adverts, intros, and outro production credits omitted per guidelines.