1514: A Love Poem Will Not Save the World by C. Russell Price - The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

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Episode Overview

Podcast: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Episode: 1514: A Love Poem Will Not Save the World by C. Russell Price
Host: Maggie Smith
Date: May 13, 2026

This episode of The Slowdown, hosted by poet Maggie Smith, uses the reading and discussion of C. Russell Price’s “A Love Poem Will Not Save the World” as a meditation on poetry’s power—and its limitations—in the aftermath of collective trauma. The episode centers on the legacy of the Pulse nightclub shooting, the struggle to process grief and fear, and the enduring need for art, compassion, and remembrance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Remembering the Pulse Nightclub Shooting

Maggie Smith begins the episode by contextualizing the poem with a poignant recollection of the June 12, 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida.
- “I’m pausing to remember something horrible that happened nearly a decade ago. On June 12, 2016, a man walked into Pulse, an LGBTQIA friendly nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and opened fire. He killed 49 people.” (01:35)
She highlights that the space was specifically “LGBTQIA friendly,” and that the violence was directed primarily at “Latino and queer and young, most of them in their 20s and 30s.”
The tragedy is discussed in terms of both its scope (most deadly U.S. mass shooting at the time) and its personal and collective psychological aftermath.

The Role of Art & Poetry in Tragedy

Maggie reflects on her own experience as the author of “Good Bones,” a poem that unexpectedly “went viral” following the massacre, becoming a marker for tragedy:
- “I call that poem a disaster barometer because any surge in its popularity is a sign that something terrible has happened.” (02:48)
She explores why poetry is turned to during dark times:
- “We read and share poems in times of tragedy because they say something we need to say or need to hear.” (03:02)

Introduction & Reading of C. Russell Price’s Poem

Maggie frames "A Love Poem Will Not Save the World" as a work that “speaks to something that feels unspeakable. It sings to us in the dark.” (03:11)
She reads the poem in its entirety, allowing listeners to feel its raw reflection on love, trauma, memory, and fear.

Poem Highlights: "A Love Poem Will Not Save the World"

(by C. Russell Price, read at 03:15-06:50)

Love and Survival: The poem opens with two people seeking solace in each other against the backdrop of a world infected with “a persistently bad idea.”
- “On the last perfect day beside the last perfect body of water, we got infected with a persistently bad idea. … You are emptying the world so we can be alone. But who would dare to exist just for that?” (03:15)
Solidarity in Pain:
- “When you were in a ditch, I was in a ditch. They were different ditches, but there we were, waiting for one another like a phantom limb.” (04:06)
- This line invites the listener to consider empathy and shared suffering—even when lived apart.
Celebration of Connection:
- “I’ve made the stupidly courageous act of letting our loudmouth scars fall in love. The daisies beside us are closing their mouths in anticipation of what comes next.” (04:22)
- Suggests vulnerability as a radical act amid chaos.
The Enduring Fear and Loss:
- “I am terrified of wide open spaces, all the possibilities of someone with ill intentions. I’m fighting my thoughts of Florida again, the nightclub, the 50 phones scuffing the floor like downed birds. I was not there, but I will never be the same.” (05:40)
- The reference to “the 50 phones scuffing the floor like downed birds” evokes the haunting aftermath, the echoes of lives lost.
Longing for Safety and Memory:
- “Tell me again in French, the word for pulse. Let us rename what we have to remember. I don’t think I will ever not be afraid again.” (06:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Public Memory and Policy:
- “I remember because I was enraged, am still enraged at our inability to enact common sense gun control in this country.” — Maggie Smith (02:24)
On Poetry’s Function in Grief:
- “We read and share poems in times of tragedy because they say something we need to say or need to hear.” — Maggie Smith (03:02)
On the Lasting Impact of Trauma:
- “I was not there, but I will never be the same. … I don’t think I will ever not be afraid again.” — C. Russell Price (Poem, 05:54; 06:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

01:35 – Maggie Smith begins her reflection, sharing feelings about the Pulse massacre and its reverberations.
02:48 – On “Good Bones” as a “disaster barometer.”
03:02 – Why we turn to poetry in tragedy.
03:11 – Introduction to Price’s poem.
03:15-06:50 – Full reading of “A Love Poem Will Not Save the World.”
06:50 – End of poem; move toward close.

Episode Tone & Takeaways

This episode blends sorrow, compassion, and a sober acknowledgment of art’s limits and necessity. Maggie Smith’s tone is contemplative and open-hearted; she refuses to look away from suffering but insists on the importance of remembrance, connection, and the hope we find—even in darkness—through poetry.

Final reflection: The episode is an invitation to sit with our pain, to recognize the scars we share, and to let poetry act as witness—even if, as the title insists, a love poem will not save the world.

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Transcript6 lines

[00:01]
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[00:26]
Manny X
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[00:32]
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[01:08]
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[01:35]
Maggie Smith
I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slowdown. This show is a place where we come together to take a pause, to find space amidst the daily noise against or alongside the difficult and dismaying news of the day. Today, I'm pausing to remember something horrible that happened nearly a decade ago. On June 12, 2016, a man walked into Pulse, an LGBTQIA friendly nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and opened fire. He killed 49 people. 49 people. Pulse was hosting its regular Latin night the night of the shooting and most of the victims were Latino. Latino and queer and young, most of them in their 20s and 30s. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since 9 11. It was also the deadliest mass shape shooting in modern US History at the time, though only for a year or so until the 2017 shooting at a Las Vegas music festival. I remember these events well because they horrified me and broke my heart. I remember because I was enraged am still enraged at our inability to enact common sense gun control in this country. I remember because I'd written a poem called Good Bones that went viral for the first time in the wake of the Pulse shooting and again after the Las Vegas massacre. I call that poem a disaster barometer because any surge in its popularity is a sign that something terrible has happened. We read and share poems in times of tragedy because they say something we need to say or need to hear. That is certainly true of today's poem. It speaks to something that feels unspeakable. It sings to us in the dark. A love poem will not save the world. By C. Russell Price on the last perfect day beside the last perfect body of water, we got infected with a persistently bad idea. We cancel our appointment with a squalling therapist. You are smiling. You are emptying the world so we can be alone. But who would dare to exist just for that? It's spring, bitch. Be in love. When you were in a ditch, I was in a ditch. They were different ditches, but there we were, waiting for one another like a phantom limb. I've made the stupidly courageous act of letting our loudmouth scars fall in love. The daisies beside us are closing their mouths in anticipation of what comes next. I recognize this is the actual end because I finally feel alive. I'm hawk eyeing your hairline as you talk about your youth in Florida. Were you there then, too, looking out the pier, wondering if there could be someone out there just as strange as you. The waves have started to crest as you speak French, the dogs cease their yawps. I still my mind to ride your tongue. I am terrified of wide open spaces, all the possibilities of someone with ill intentions. I'm fighting my thoughts of Florida again, the nightclub, the 50 phones scuffing the floor like downed birds. I was not there, but I will never be the same. Tell me again in French, the word for pulse. Let us rename what we have to remember. I don't think I will ever not be afraid again. 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, LoadownShow and blue sky@slowdownshow.org.
[08:25]
Manny X
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