[encore] 1025: I Am Trying to Love the Whole World by Jenny Browne - The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Summary4 min read

Summary of The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily - Episode 1025: "I Am Trying to Love the Whole World" by Jenny Browne

Release Date: May 9, 2025
Host: Major Jackson
Production: American Public Media in partnership with The Poetry Foundation

1. Introduction: Embracing Nature Through Poetry

In this episode of The Slowdown, host Major Jackson delves into the serene yet profound experience of birdwatching, intertwining it with the art of poetry. Jackson begins by painting a vivid picture of his morning walks in Vermont, where he observes the regal presence of a broad-winged hawk perched on a dead tree trunk (00:23). This moment sets the tone for the episode, highlighting the tranquility and introspection that nature offers.

Jackson shares his endeavor to maintain a journal documenting avian sightings, humorously imagining an essay titled "In Defense of Bird Watching and Writing Poems about Finches" (01:10). He reflects on the societal tendency to dismiss conversations about birds as trivial, equating them to discussions about the weather—a safe but inconsequential topic compared to more urgent global issues (01:26).

Notable Quotes:

"If only we viewed observations of the natural world and meditations on birds, mammals, and plant life as equally critically urgent, we might awaken to the necessity of caretaking our planet and each other." (02:16)
"Birdwatching does not have to be a form of looking away; it can be an antidote for our spirit." (02:24)

Jackson emphasizes that immersing oneself in nature is not escapism but a vital source of comfort and resilience, especially amid personal traumas (02:29). By framing natural environments as sanctuaries, he underscores the therapeutic power of connecting with the outdoors.

2. Featured Poem: "I Am Trying to Love the Whole World" by Jenny Browne

Transitioning seamlessly from his reflections, Major Jackson introduces the featured poem, "I Am Trying to Love the Whole World" by Jenny Browne. The poem serves as an elegy, utilizing the names and behaviors of various birds to explore themes of love, loss, and the overwhelming desire to embrace the entirety of existence.

Poem Highlights:

The poem begins with a contemplation of overwhelming love: "I am trying to love the whole world, but you can't keep everything." (03:03)
Jenny Browne employs a meticulous listing of bird species—albatross, bunting, cormorant, dove—to convey the meticulous yet exhausting effort of loving expansively (03:03).
The poet juxtaposes the natural behaviors of animals with human emotions, creating a poignant reflection on the challenges of holding onto cherished memories and relationships: "Your laugh like an ambulance and your laugh like the elephant grass." (04:36)

Throughout the poem, the repetition and alphabetical ordering of bird names symbolize the cyclical and often overwhelming nature of grief and affection. The vivid imagery invites listeners to find solace in the natural world's constancy amidst personal turmoil.

Notable Lines:

"Instead of your dead friends, don't you mean egret, mean grackle, mean humming, keep humming, keep j say kingfisher, say loon, say." (03:28)
"While the skeletal fence cats carry on their cage match over moonlight..." (04:00)

3. Conclusion: The Intersection of Nature and Poetry

As the episode draws to a close, Major Jackson ties together the themes presented in the introduction and the featured poem. He reiterates the importance of finding refuge in nature and poetry, especially when confronting the chaos and challenges of the modern world. By highlighting Jenny Browne's work, Jackson illustrates how poetry can serve as both a mirror and a balm for the soul, reflecting our deepest emotions while providing comfort and understanding.

Final Thoughts:

"Today's poem makes use of birds and their naming as elegy its morning rises to the level of a sacred, comforting ritual." (02:46)

Jackson encourages listeners to incorporate such moments of reflection into their daily routines, whether during a morning coffee, a nature walk, or winding down in the evening. By doing so, he invites a collective journey towards calm, inspiration, and a deeper engagement with both emerging and established voices in poetry.

Additional Information

For those interested in exploring more episodes, listeners can access the back catalog featuring previous hosts Tracy K. Smith and Ada Limón, as well as guest hosts like Jenny Xie, Brenda Shaughnessy, and Amanda Gorman, among others. To receive daily poems, visit slowdownshow.org and subscribe to their newsletter or follow them on Instagram at @slowdownshow.

Production Credits:

Written by: Major Jackson
Lead Producer: Micah Kilbon
Associate Producer: Maria Wartel
Music Composer: Alexis Cuadrado
Engineering: Alex Simpson and Josh Savageone
Additional Production: Susanna Sharpless, Rebecca Rand, Jordan Turgen, Lou Baron, Nick Ryan, and Lauren Humphrey
Special Thanks: Former producers Jennifer Lai and Tracy Mumford

The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with The Poetry Foundation, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Timestamp Reference:

00:23: Observation of the broad-winged hawk
01:10: Attempting to keep a journal of bird sightings
01:26: Conversations equating bird talk to trivial topics
02:16: Necessity of caretaking the planet through nature observation
02:24: Birdwatching as an antidote for the spirit
02:29: Natural environments as sanctuaries
03:03: Introduction to the poem’s theme
03:28: Excerpt from the poem
04:00: Imagery in the poem
04:36: Concluding lines of the poem
02:46: Reflection on the poem’s significance

Note: Timestamps correspond to parts of the transcript provided and are indicative for reference purposes.

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Transcript37 lines

[00:00]
Unknown Speaker
Foreign.
[00:06]
Major Jackson
Jackson and this is the slowdown this summer.
[00:21]
Unknown Speaker
Walking the hilly road up to my.
[00:23]
Major Jackson
Home in Vermont, I watched a broad wing hawk land on a dead tree trunk. He was at eye level, only 20ft away. He looked regal and never budged, just.
[00:36]
Unknown Speaker
Eyed me as I gave a wide berth.
[00:39]
Major Jackson
I'm sure he was seeking rodents or.
[00:41]
Unknown Speaker
Voles of some kind.
[00:43]
Major Jackson
I posed no threat, which he must have known. Earlier in the year, I happened upon.
[00:50]
Unknown Speaker
A timberdoodle in the sky doing his courtship dance for a potential soulmate. The widening circles followed by a plunge to the ground were terrifically moving.
[01:03]
Major Jackson
The above are recent logs entered in.
[01:06]
Unknown Speaker
A bird book I've recently purchased. I am attempting to keep a journal.
[01:10]
Major Jackson
Of sightings of the avian species during morning walks. In my head I am composing an imaginary essay titled In Defense of Bird Watching and Writing Poems about Finches.
[01:26]
Unknown Speaker
Lately I've had conversations where talk of.
[01:30]
Major Jackson
Birds is the equivalent of talk of weather, a signifier of what we avoid in our daily conversation and poems in.
[01:39]
Unknown Speaker
Lieu of more urgent and pressing topics.
[01:42]
Major Jackson
Remarks critical of writing about birds parallel.
[01:46]
Unknown Speaker
Disparaging comments of writings about gardens and nature walks through state parks. The belief is that such writings are.
[01:55]
Major Jackson
An indulgence in an age in which.
[01:58]
Unknown Speaker
It seems the world is going up in flames.
[02:01]
Major Jackson
That's one perspective.
[02:04]
Unknown Speaker
If only we viewed observations of the.
[02:07]
Major Jackson
Natural world and meditations on birds, mammals.
[02:10]
Unknown Speaker
And plant life as equally critically urgent, we might awaken to the necessity of.
[02:17]
Major Jackson
Caretaking our planet and each other.
[02:22]
Unknown Speaker
Birdwatching does not have to be a.
[02:24]
Major Jackson
Form of looking away it can be.
[02:27]
Unknown Speaker
An antidote for our spirit.
[02:29]
Major Jackson
I've made natural environments my sanctuary because.
[02:33]
Unknown Speaker
Of the violence and trauma I've witnessed in my life. To take an interest in birds and the outdoors is the comfort I require when all else feels insurmountable.
[02:46]
Major Jackson
Today's poem makes use of birds and their naming as elegy its morning rises.
[02:53]
Unknown Speaker
To the level of a sacred, comforting ritual. This is a poem by Jenny Brown. I am trying to love the whole.
[03:03]
Major Jackson
World, but you can't keep everything. You can only enter the sleepless rooms, repeating more slowly and in alphabetical order the names of albatross, bunting cormorant, dove, albatross, bunting cormorant.
[03:29]
Unknown Speaker
Instead of your dead friends, don't you.
[03:31]
Major Jackson
Mean mean egret, mean grackle, mean humming, keep humming, keep j say kingfisher, say loon, say. Despite the raccoons screeching all night like blown timing belts high in the trash trees, while the skeletal fence cats carry on their cage match over moonlight say Katie Rhonda shimmy T. I mean mocking, mocking. And still we haven't finished cleaning out your studio. Your drawers full of heart shaped catalpa leaves, sketches of standing ovations for melancholic rock stars, charm bracelets and the chiseled gray mountains of Spain over which we.
[04:34]
Unknown Speaker
Had yet to fly.
[04:36]
Major Jackson
And your laugh like an ambulance and your laugh like the elephant grass.
[04:53]
Unknown Speaker
The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the web@arts.gov to get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter and find us on Instagram at slowdownshow and blueskylowdownshow.org the slowdown is written by me, Major Jackson. Our lead producer is Micah Kilbon and our associate producer is Maria Wartel. Our music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado, engineering by Alex Simpson and Josh Savageone. Additional production help by Susanna Sharpless, Rebecca Rand, Jordan Turgen, Lou Baron, Nick Ryan and Lauren Humphrey. Special thank you to former Slowdown producers Jennifer Lai and Tracy Mumford who critically shaped the show. You know, today our executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith.