Summary3 min read

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode 1554: "Nobody's Job" by Ronna Bloom
Host: Maggie Smith
Date: July 8, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Maggie Smith delves into the enduring power of poetic endings, reflecting on how they can leave a resonant impact, before sharing and exploring the poem "Nobody's Job" by Ronna Bloom. The episode is a meditation on the nature of closure, the emotional truth found in poetry, and the universal experience of grief and self-reliance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Art of Endings in Storytelling and Poetry

[01:05–03:25]

Personal Anecdote: Maggie recalls learning the significance of a strong ending from dinner table banter with her father, recognizing the circular shape of both jokes and compelling storytelling.
Parallel to Writing: She observes that both surprise and inevitability are crucial for powerful endings, whether in jokes or poems:
"The best endings feel both surprising and inevitable. They close a piece while creating an opening, at the same time, a widening of the aperture."
Advice for Writers: Maggie advises against tying up every narrative or poetic loose end, emphasizing that leaving some openness allows for reader participation and resonance.
"If we close every door... we deny the reader some important pleasures in the text."

Resonance and the Lingering Vibration of Poetry

[03:25–04:10]

Metaphor of Resonance: Maggie likens a resonant ending to a bell, saying its vibration lingers and hums in our heads long after the reading.
Building Anticipation: She sets up "Nobody's Job" by sharing how the poem’s ending moved her to tears and how she envies listeners experiencing it for the first time.

Featured Poem: "Nobody's Job" by Ronna Bloom

[04:12–05:44]

Maggie reads the poem in its entirety, allowing its emotional journey and thematic depth to unfold for listeners.

Poem Themes:

The finality of loss and the moment of parting.
The solitary nature of grief and the realization that self-care, even at our lowest, is fundamentally our own responsibility.
The freeing, even if surprising, result of this realization—gathering oneself and moving forward alone.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Endings:
"The best endings feel both surprising and inevitable. They close a piece while creating an opening, at the same time, a widening of the aperture."
— Maggie Smith [02:10]
On Resonance:
"We call an ending resonant because it does what a bell does after it's rung. The vibration lingers, it reverberates. It sticks with you long after you've read the piece, humming in your head."
— Maggie Smith [03:21]
On Grief & Solitude from the Poem:
"I saw that it was no one's job to take care of me. However sad I got, surprised. I'd thought we all had someone, or that everyone's job was to look after everyone. But it's not true. And I gathered myself and sent myself everywhere and went free."
— Ronna Bloom, read by Maggie Smith [05:08–05:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

01:05: Maggie Smith introduces her thoughts on endings, drawing from family anecdotes.
02:10: Discussion on the mechanics and value of open endings in poetry.
03:21: Resonance metaphor and anticipation for the poem.
04:12: "Nobody's Job" by Ronna Bloom is read in full.
05:08–05:40: The poem’s revelatory closing lines on self-care and liberation in grief.

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Reflective, nurturing, and earnest, the episode gently guides listeners toward a profound realization: the transformative, solitary nature of grieving, and the subtle hope that comes from self-reliance.
This brief, powerful exploration reinforces the Slowdown’s mission—to provide a moment of connection and reflection through poetry, fostering compassion, wonder, and truth.

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Transcript4 lines

[00:00]
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This podcast is supported by Raymond James, a financial firm offering wealth management, banking and capital markets services that are inspired by people before Raymond James. Financial Advisors build plans. They build relationships so they can craft individual strategies designed to achieve priorities and pursue what's possible. That's the power of personal disclosures@raymondjames.com Raymond James and Associates, Inc. Member NYSE Sipic it's go time.
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[01:05]
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I'm Maggie Smith and this is the Slowdown. The first time I realized the power of a strong last line. It had nothing to do with poetry. It didn't even have anything to do with writing. I was a child at the dinner table, trying to keep up with my father's witty banter. I'd learned at an early age that keeping up with adult conversation and getting a laugh was rewarded. And as I sat there listening closely, paying attention to my father's chatter, I realized the shape of a funny anecdote is circular. You have to bring it back around. It's true of jokes, too. The best punch lines catch you off guard, but they don't come out of nowhere. They connect back to something while also springing you forward. The same is true, I think, when it comes to writing. The best endings feel both surprising and inevitable. They close a piece while creating an opening, at the same time, a widening of the aperture. They make it feel complete but leave space for the reader to participate. Some of my favorite poems end on a significant image or a line of dialogue that sticks with the reader. Some endings revisit an image or phrase from earlier in the piece, creating that sense of coming full circle, a sense of closure and cohesiveness. Others introduce something new at the end that shakes the reader by their shoulders. I warn students to resist the temptation to tie up every loose end in a piece. I often suggest they let their poem or essay end on a more open note to allow the reader a way into the piece. If we close every door to funnel the reader toward a specific experience or conclusion, we deny the reader some important pleasures in the text. We call an ending resonant because it does what a bell does after it's rung. The vibration lingers, it reverberates. It sticks with you long after you've read the piece, humming in your head. Today's poem is beautiful, start to finish, but the ending astonished me. It moved me to tears, which caught me by surprise. If you don't know this poem, I'm envious that you get to experience it for the first time. Nobody's Job by Ronna Bloom when you were dying, I held up the phone and a voice said, we love you, we are proud of you. Go free and you scattered moments before you held up your hand and I read our future in your palm. Our paths wandered up, your fingers scattered, the stars shushed each other, the moon turned on her usher's light and the road went on. When I was grieving, I saw that it was no one's job to take care of me. However sad. I got surprised. I'd thought we we all had someone, or that everyone's job was to look after everyone. But it's not true. And I gathered myself and sent myself everywhere and went free. 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 blueskylowdownshow.org.
[06:29]
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