The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode 1445: Hackberry by Cecily Parks
Host: Maggie Smith
Date: January 29, 2026

Main Theme

This episode centers on the deep emotional connections we form with the natural world around us, particularly with trees. Host Maggie Smith reflects on how particular trees from her own childhood became symbolic anchors of home and memory. She introduces Cecily Parks’s poem “Hackberry” as a moving love poem to a beloved tree and the fragile sense of home and protection it offers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Maggie Smith’s Personal Reflection on Trees and Home

• Childhood Memories with Trees (00:30 – 01:10)

  • Maggie reminisces about growing up among willow, pine, and magnolia trees.
  • These trees are not only physical parts of her childhood homes, but have become essential elements in her poetry and personal concept of “home.”
  • Quote:

    “They're not just part of the landscape, they're part of my idea of home.” —Maggie Smith (01:06)

• Connecting to Today’s Poem (01:11 – 01:21)

  • Maggie is drawn to “Hackberry” because it, too, is a “kind of love poem to a beloved tree and to the sense of home it created.”

Reading of “Hackberry” by Cecily Parks

(01:22 – 04:25)

Major Themes in the Poem

• Impending Loss and Change

  • The speaker knows the tree will soon be gone, mirroring changes to one's sense of place and security.

• Protection and Folklore

  • Reference to the folk belief:

    “It's said that those who sleep under a hackberry will be protected from evil spirits, and I can't stop thinking of how the four of us for years blithely slept the sleep of the protected as if there were no other sleep…” (02:05)

• Family Memories

  • The poem weaves in voices from the poet’s children, underscoring how the tree anchored their shared experiences.
    • Quote (child’s voice):

      “You can see the tree from the whole house, June says.” (03:36) “When I was younger and walked barefoot on the sharp stones, Kala says, I stepped on its roots because they were smooth.” (03:41)

• Destruction and Grief

  • The impending removal of the tree due to disease is presented with tender grief and resignation.

    “I would like to believe in tenderness. Earlier today I tried my arms around the tree, but they wouldn't wrap all the way around and actually, the tree scratched my skin and tomorrow a crew will cut it down.” (03:56)

• Meditations on Worth and Loss

  • Commentary on how people undervalue hackberries—calling them “junk trees”—contrasts with the speaker’s reverence for the tree’s shade and presence.

    “Some people call a hackberry a junk tree or trash tree. Throwing shade. I love the tree shade. And now it will be gone, as will the sunlight in the shape of love.” (04:13)

• Open-ended Grief and Uncertainty

  • The poem closes with the anxiety of loss and the question of how to write about something so meaningful.

    “How do I write this poem? I ask my family as we sit together in the disappearing room.” (04:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On personal childhood trees:

  “They're not just part of the landscape, they're part of my idea of home.”
  —Maggie Smith (01:06)

• Poetic folklore:

  “It's said that those who sleep under a hackberry will be protected from evil spirits…”
  —Cecily Parks, read by Maggie Smith (02:05)

• Family connection:

  “You can see the tree from the whole house, June says.”
  “When I was younger and walked barefoot on the sharp stones, Kala says, I stepped on its roots because they were smooth.”
  —Cecily Parks, read by Maggie Smith (03:36–03:41)

• Resonant ending:

  “How do I write this poem? I ask my family as we sit together in the disappearing room.”
  —Cecily Parks, read by Maggie Smith (04:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|-------------| | Maggie’s childhood tree reflections | 00:30–01:11 | | Introduction to “Hackberry” | 01:11–01:21 | | Full poem reading | 01:22–04:25 | | Family voices and tree memories | 03:36–03:49 | | Reflection on loss and poem’s final lines | 04:13–04:21 |

Tone

Maggie Smith’s narration is warm, intimate, and reflective, inviting listeners to consider their own connections to trees and places, and how poetry can honor and mourn such bonds.

Summary

This episode gracefully weaves personal narrative and poetry to explore how trees become more than just backdrop—they are living symbols of home, memory, and love. Cecily Parks’s “Hackberry” is read with tenderness, capturing the sorrow of impending loss, the magic of family lore, and the desire to preserve meaning through poetry. The episode invites listeners to contemplate the significance of ordinary things—like a misunderstood tree—and the fleeting, shimmering moments that make us feel safe and whole.