Summary3 min read

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode 1457: an excerpt from THERE IS ONLY ONE GHOST IN THE WORLD by Sophie Klahr and Corey Zeller
Host: Maggie Smith
Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Maggie Smith reflects on childhood fears, the evolution of belief, and the ways stories shape our understanding of self and world. The episode features an excerpt from There Is Only One Ghost in the World by Sophie Klahr and Corey Zeller—a collaborative poem that moves from the lore of the Bermuda Triangle into expansive ruminations on disappearance, personal loss, and the artifacts of relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood, Memory, and the Bermuda Triangle

[00:43 - 02:04]

Maggie recalls being a child in the 80s with vivid memories akin to scenes from "Stranger Things," minus the supernatural elements:
- “Kids riding their bikes in suburban neighborhoods, listening to music on cassette, playing board games with their friends.”
She highlights the power of stories to shape childhood fears, particularly her fascination and anxiety surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, fueled by media and books.
Maggie explains the Bermuda Triangle’s geographical reality and debunks its myth:
- “A big part of growing up is re evaluating what we once believed, fact checking our news sources, and becoming more discerning in general. And not just about stories we read, but but about our own lives too.” (Maggie Smith, 02:00)

2. The Poem: From Myth to Personal Reflection

[02:05 - 04:12]

Maggie introduces the poem as a collaborative work, appreciating its movement “from the legend of the Bermuda Triangle...toward the incredibly personal, though there isn't a single person's perspective or experience behind it.”
The poem's passage:
- Facts versus legends: Contrary to myth, the Bermuda Triangle does not have an unusual rate of disappearances.
- Global perspective on loss: Introduces data—Alaska and California's disappearance statistics, then pivots to Sri Lanka’s staggering missing persons count (60,000–100,000 since 1980).
- Geographic and corporeal metaphors: Sri Lanka “looks like a human nail…like a triangle laid out in one long line.” An average child’s blood vessels “would stretch over 60,000 miles.”
- Personal vignettes of loss and change:
  - A woman retelling her divorce finds her hand cramps as she talks about removing her wedding ring, needing to reach it out a car window.
  - The narrator reminisces about a failed engagement—receiving an opal family ring at Christmas, thinking, “my God, he doesn’t know me at all.”

3. Thematic Connections: Disappearance and Recognition

The piece threads together broad concepts of disappearance—geographical, statistical, and emotional—pointing to both visible and invisible forms of loss and change.
The emotional resonance emerges in how the poem navigates from world myth into deeply personal territory, underlining themes of estrangement, misunderstanding, and the artifacts of love.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On growing up and myth-busting:

“A big part of growing up is re evaluating what we once believed, fact checking our news sources, and becoming more discerning in general. And not just about stories we read, but but about our own lives too.”
— Maggie Smith, [02:00]
On Sri Lanka and metaphor:

“If you look at Sri Lanka on a map you'll see it looks like a human nail and oddly, yes, like a triangle laid out in one long line.”
— Excerpt from the poem, [03:17]
On personal disconnection:

“When you put it on, you thought, my God, he doesn't know me at all.”
— Excerpt from the poem, [04:04]

Important Segment Timestamps

00:43: Maggie’s personal reminiscence and context setting
02:00: Reflection on critical thinking and personal discernment
02:16: Introduction to Klahr & Zeller’s collaborative poem
02:30 - 04:12: Poem excerpt, blending myth, global data, and personal narrative

Tone & Style

Maggie Smith’s narration remains intimate, conversational, and gently meditative.
The poem excerpt is matter-of-fact yet poetic, weaving statistical realism with personal vulnerability and metaphor.

Summary

This episode of The Slowdown invites listeners to consider the evolution of belief—how we move from childlike credulity in mysterious legends like the Bermuda Triangle to nuanced, fact-based understandings. Through Sophie Klahr and Corey Zeller’s collaborative poem, the episode traces connections between large-scale disappearances (statistical, geographic) and the intimate losses and misunderstandings that subtly haunt ordinary lives. The juxtaposition of historical myth, hard data, and personal anecdote encourages reflection on appearance versus reality and the ways we account for absence—both in the world and within ourselves.

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Transcript2 lines

[00:00]
A
You've made it on time for the McDonald's breakfast menu. You think to yourself, finally I can start my day. But what if breakfast could be even more perfect with the hot honey sausage egg biscuit? It finally is. Go to McDonald's and get it while you can. This podcast is supported by Viking, Committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining and cultural enrichment on board and on shore. And every Viking voyage is all inclus with no children and no casinos. Discover more@viking.com.
[00:44]
B
I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slowdown. I was a child in the 80s. It was a lot like the show Stranger Things. Minus the monsters and wormholes of course. Kids riding their bikes in suburban neighborhoods, listening to music on cassette, playing board games with their friends. One thing I remember fearing as a kid, based on my reading and on television shows at the time, was the Bermuda Triangle. I definitely watched too many episodes of Unsolved Mysteries as a kid and read lots of choose your own adventure books. The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the North Atlantic Ocean off North America. It's shaped, well, like a triangle, stretching from the Atlantic coast of Florida to to Bermuda to the islands known as the Greater antilles. More than 50 ships and 20 planes are said to have mysteriously disappeared in the area, and although theories of supernatural causes have become lore, geophysical and environmental factors are most likely irresponsible. Okay then, so we can consider that debunked. The Bermuda Triangle isn't what I thought it was as a child. A big part of growing up is re evaluating what we once believed, fact checking our news sources, and becoming more discerning in general. And not just about stories we read, but but about our own lives too. Today's piece is collaborative, written by Sophie Klar and Corey Zeller. I love the way it begins with the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, but then turns toward the incredibly personal, though there isn't a single person's perspective or experience behind it. An excerpt from There Is Only One Ghost in the World by Sophie Klar and Corey Zeller. Despite legend, the Bermuda Triangle does not have a higher rate of disappearances than other geographical sites. It does not appear on a single world map. At present, Alaska ranks as having the most disappearances per capita, though California ranks as the state with the most disappearances 2,133 people. Sri Lanka has the most disappearances in the world 60,000 to somewhere near 100,000 missing people since 1980. If you look at Sri Lanka on a map you'll see it looks like a human nail and oddly, yes, like a triangle laid out in one long line. The average child's blood vessels and would stretch over 60,000 miles. The woman who will become your next lover is describing her divorce while she gives you a lift to the airport. When she begins to talk about taking off the wedding ring, her hand cramps and she opens the window to press her left hand into the wind. You were engaged once. It was months after the proposal that your fiance actually gave you a ring. Christmas in Virginia, your first time at his family's home, and he presented the ring to you in front of everyone. It was a family ring, an opal. When you put it on, you thought, my God, he doesn't know me at all. 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 at Slowdown show and bluesky@slowdownshow.org. Hi, it's Maggie. The Slowdown is the only poetry podcast in public media. That means your support is vital to keep us going. No matter how much you give, your contribution makes a real difference. Head to SlowdownShow.org donate today to Power More Poems into the Future.