Podcast Summary: The Slowdown, Episode 1447 – "Gratitude" by Cornelius Eady

Host: Samia Bashir (Guest Host, standing in for Maggie Smith)
Date: February 2, 2026
Podcast: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Featured Poem: "Gratitude" by Cornelius Eady

Episode Overview

This episode of The Slowdown is guest-hosted by poet Samia Bashir, who brings forward Cornelius Eady's powerful poem "Gratitude" to reflect on themes of freedom, the Black American experience, artistic vocation, and the transformative potential of hope and self-recognition. Bashir contextualizes the reading around Groundhog Day—a date layered with traditions and meanings, including National Freedom Day, which marks the abolition of slavery in the U.S. She introduces Eady’s poem as an act of personal and communal offering, a testament to resilience, and a meditation on the bittersweet inheritance of hope and struggle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Timestamp [00:52] – Opening Reflections: Layers of Significance

• Groundhog Day as a Cultural Marker:
  Bashir humorously and thoughtfully unpacks the lore of Groundhog Day, referencing its origins from the Pennsylvania Dutch and their adaptation from Candlemas, as well as its links to overcoming darkness and suffering with grace and light.
• National Freedom Day:
  Bashir ties the episode’s date to the signing of the 13th Amendment.

  "There's something to be said about our strongly held veneration for freedom, freedom not only of movement, but of living and choosing our own paths." [01:45]

• Poetry as Promise:
  Bashir shares her experience as a longstanding creative writing teacher and her ritual of reading Eady’s "Gratitude" to students as a way to make a "clear, bold promise" about the power of art to shape the future.

2. [03:00] – Introduction to Cornelius Eady's "Gratitude"

• Bashir selects this poem to amplify Black voices and unflinchingly juxtapose American traditions with African-American narratives of survival and originality.
• She frames "Gratitude" as both an individual statement and a universal reach for acknowledgment, survival, and joy amid adversity.

3. [03:35–08:35] – Full Reading of "Gratitude" by Cornelius Eady

Notable Quotes from the Poem:

• Articulating Personal Survival and Identity:

  "I'm here to tell you an old story. This appears to be my work. I live in the world, walk the streets of New York, this dear city. I want to tell you I'm 36 years old. I have lived in and against my blood. I want to tell you I am grateful because after all, I'm a black American poet." [03:45]

• On Luck and Survival and Unspoken Truths:

  "All I have to do is remember. And to the famous poet who thinks literature holds no small musics. Love. And to the publishers who believe in their marrow there's no profit on the fringes, love. And to those who need the promise of wind...here's another environment poised to open." [05:00]

• Recognition of Support and Determination:

  "I claim this tiny glee not just for myself but for my parents who shook their heads. I'm older now than my father was when he had me, which is no big deal except I have personal knowledge of the wind that tilts the head back." [06:00]

• Defiance and Building New Structures:

  "And to the bullies who need the musty air of the clubhouse all to themselves, I am a brick in a house that is being built around your house." [07:15]

• Resilience, Joy, and Unexpected Fulfillment:

  "Nearly all the things that weren't supposed to occur have happened anyway, and I have a natural inability to sustain rage despite the evidence. I have proof and a job that comes as simple to me as breathing." [07:50]

4. [08:36] – Samia Bashir’s Reflection & Closing

• Bashir lets the poem resonate, signaling the radical celebration embedded in bearing witness, especially as a Black American artist.
• The episode closes with a subtle affirmation of poetry's endurance, gratitude, and the ongoing building of both personal and communal homes of possibility and acceptance.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Samia Bashir on the Significance of National Freedom Day:

  "There's something to be said about our strongly held veneration for freedom, freedom not only of movement, but of living and choosing our own paths." [01:45]

• Cornelius Eady on Gratitude and Perspective:

  "A lucky man gets to sing his name. I have survived long enough to tell a bit of an old story." [07:00]

• Eady on Overcoming Boundaries:

  "I am a brick in a house that is being built around your house." [07:15]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:52 – Samia Bashir introduces herself and sets the cultural/historical context
• 01:45 – Reflections on National Freedom Day and the meaning of freedom
• 03:00 – Introduction to Cornelius Eady and selection rationale
• 03:35-08:35 – Full reading of "Gratitude"
• 08:36 – Bashir's brief, resonant closing remarks

Tone and Style

The episode blends earnestness and celebration with grounded, reflective commentary. Samia Bashir balances humor and solemnity in her framing, while Cornelius Eady’s poetic voice is candid, intimate, and quietly defiant, expressing joy, hardship, and gratitude in equal measure.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode stands out as an ideal entry point for both poetry newcomers and longtime listeners. The conversation and the poem itself underscore how poetry can be an act of survival, self-declaration, and joy, especially in the face of historic and personal adversity. By foregrounding the Black American experience and the poetic vocation, Samia Bashir and Cornelius Eady together invite all listeners to recognize the small victories, the power of creative expression, and the collective work of building community—brick by brick, word by word.