[encore] 1094: 00000000 by Erin Marie Lynch

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily Episode: [encore] 1094: 00000000 by Erin Marie Lynch
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Host: Major Jackson

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Host's Farewell and Reflections

Timestamp: [00:17]
As Major Jackson wraps up his tenure as host of The Slowdown, he expresses heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to share poetry with listeners over the past few years. Reflecting on the show's rich archive, he mentions that upcoming episodes will feature some of their favorite poems from previous broadcasts, allowing both new and long-time listeners to revisit cherished moments.

Personal Anecdote: Cultivating a Spirit of Giving

Timestamp: [00:17]
Major shares a personal story about instilling values of generosity and self-worth in his children. Each Thanksgiving, he assigns them the task of researching a nonprofit organization to support. This year, his children chose to donate to their local animal shelter and food bank. Despite limited funds, Major emphasizes the importance of fostering a spirit of giving, counteracting the prevalent focus on consumerism during the holiday season. He voices a concern: “I feared my children, as adults, would measure their identity and self-worth by the size of their paycheck and not their heart.”

Introduction to Erin Marie Lynch's "00000000"

Timestamp: [00:17]
Transitioning to the featured poem, Major introduces Erin Marie Lynch's work titled "00000000." He highlights the poem's exploration of themes such as the pursuit of money, transactional desires, and the essence of lyrical expression. Major remarks, “Its teasing interplay of language brings into close proximity art, social class, and manners of currency,” setting the stage for a deep dive into the poem's intricate layers.

Highlighted Verses and Themes from "00000000"

Erin Marie Lynch's poem delves into the complexities of desire, money, and personal identity. Major pauses at several poignant lines to underscore their significance:

• Desire and Identity:
  "I have desired most to be desired ... my givingness."
  [Minor Timestamp: 02:45]
  Lynch articulates a yearning for genuine connection over superficial attraction, questioning the transactional nature of relationships.

• Generational and Socioeconomic Reflections:
  "Their fathers sell the missiles their grandfathers designed."
  [Timestamp: 04:10]
  The poem critiques the cyclical nature of power and wealth across generations, highlighting the persistent influence of family legacies.

• Monetary Constraints and Emotional Depth:
  "Debt, like a lyric situation, constrains until having been exited, it once again becomes illusory."
  [Timestamp: 05:30]
  Lynch draws parallels between financial burdens and emotional states, suggesting that both can be both tangible and ephemeral.

• National Identity and Personal Struggles:
  "My country climbs an upward line of militarized spending ... see figure 1 as of yet empty."
  [Timestamp: 06:50]
  The poem intertwines personal turmoil with national policies, reflecting on how broader societal issues impact individual lives.

• Final Yearnings and Self-Realization:
  "Hereafter I desire to become by heart by heart by heart."
  [Timestamp: 09:20]
  Lynch concludes with a heartfelt aspiration for authentic self-fulfillment, emphasizing emotional over material wealth.

Conclusion and Reflection

Timestamp: [07:54] onwards
The episode concludes with Major Jackson's reflections on the poem's profound exploration of desire and societal constructs. He invites listeners to contemplate their own perceptions of value, both personal and economic, encouraging a deeper understanding of the intertwined nature of art and everyday life.

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About The Slowdown:
The Slowdown serves as a daily poetry ritual, offering listeners a moment of calm, inspiration, and reflection through carefully curated poems. Hosted by Major Jackson, the show features works from both emerging and established poets, bridging generations and styles. Produced by APM Studios in partnership with The Poetry Foundation and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Slowdown aims to illuminate the mysteries of our common journey via the power of poetry.

For more episodes and to subscribe, visit slowdownshow.org or find them on Instagram @slowdownshow.

Transcript

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[B]

Y cuando terminas a night shift, morning shifta McDonald's breakfast hi, it's Major. As I close my time as host of the Slowdown, I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to share poetry with you these past few years. The Slowdown has a deep store of episodes, and for the next few months we're reaching into the archive to bring you some of our favorites. Here's one from my time on the show. I'm Major Jackson and this is the Slowdown. When they were young, I would ask my children which social cause they wish to donate to during Thanksgiving. I gave them the assignment to research a non profit they wanted to support. They decided to donate to our local animal shelter and food bank. Not that we had extra funds, but it felt important to engender a spirit of giving as a counterbalance to the end of the year emphasis on shopping and spending. I feared my children, as adults, would measure their identity and self worth by the size of their paycheck and not their heart. Today's poem disentangles the quest for money, transactional desire, and lyric subjectivity. Its teasing interplay of language brings into close proximity art, social class, and manners of currency. 0000-000-000 by Erin Marie Lynch I have desired most to be desired last drops of juice squeezed from the lime husk and thereafter gone my givingness. Oh, handsome men. I'm sick of them. The new girlfriends look like me or I look like the old girlfriends. Their fathers sell the missiles their grandfathers designed. Drunk on their wine, I slept warm in their past. Now I'm brought to consideration of trust funds. Not at all a proper subject for the lyric, my teacher said. Nothing follows generations like zeros in bank accounts and a resulting politeness concerning origins. Debt, like a lyric situation, constrains until having been exited, it once again becomes illusory. The similarities end there. And yes, I have desire most some money, some money without trying more cushion than my mother's rage, her joy a silent deep sea creature, monstrous with its almost human face. You fed Loan servicing lifted delicate unagi to my lips as I reclined on a white leather sofa. I am all deferrals and transfers now. My country climbs an upward line of militarized spending last week depositing a $25 check for a poem from a state university I moved again from object to subject to subjection Reciting my ATM code with my index by heart from blood comes money from blood and you chase bank Put your arms around me in your parents summer home and out French doors I saw blue water My country makes up zeros every day still it all and them I wanted but take me past the moment of complicity piss warm pool of admission There must be some form of doing, some form of having done Even privately I want to have done something see figure 1 as of yet empty unthinkable to think outside myself I for 20 years the nuclear launch code at US weapons silos was set to 0000 to Min. My country pervaded by an inarticulable lyric pressure Small desire small hasn't kept me I shudder like a bad transmission My country occurred occurs daily both with and without my permission. The ease with which I typed that code a missile also is a situation illusory to every eye outside it the lyrics constrain speaker's small desire the ease, the speed 1/2 less $25 blue water on the other side of self recognition lies a secret, a undulating form that has followed me for generations Hereafter I desire to become by heart by heart by heart. The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with with the Poetry Foundation. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the [e-mail] to get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter and find us on Instagram slowdownshow and blue [e-mail].

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