[encore] 1156: In Love by Chloe Martinez - The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Summary

Podcast Summary: [Encore] 1156: In Love by Chloe Martinez

Release Date: July 30, 2025
Podcast: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Host: Major Jackson
Produced By: APM Studios in partnership with The Poetry Foundation
Supported By: National Endowment for the Arts

Introduction and Context

In this encore episode of The Slowdown, host Major Jackson revisits one of his favorite episodes, offering listeners a nostalgic journey through his personal experiences intertwined with poetry. The episode centers around the poem "In Love" by Chloe Martinez, providing a reflective and intimate exploration of early love and its lasting impact.

Personal Reflection by Major Jackson

Major Jackson opens the episode by sharing a heartfelt personal narrative that sets the stage for the poem's themes. He reminisces about his first experience with love, describing how it influenced his priorities and emotional landscape during his formative years.

Early Infatuation: "The first time I was in love, I started missing baseball practice. Instead, I went to the library." (00:46)

Jackson reflects on how his feelings for Cherie overshadowed his usual activities, highlighting the profound effect of young love.
Emotional Turmoil: "What an immense feeling to live with a perennial lump in my chest." (02:10)

He conveys the intense and persistent nature of his emotions during this period.
Parental Guidance: "My mom was the first to figure it out. She encouraged me to say a kind word to Cherie and just talk to her without all the passionate feelings." (04:05)

Discussing his mother's role, Jackson emphasizes the importance of guidance and the challenges of translating deep emotions into genuine conversation.

Introduction to the Poem: "In Love" by Chloe Martinez

Transitioning from his personal story, Major Jackson introduces the poem "In Love," drawing parallels between his own experiences and the poet's expressions of love and reflection.

Connecting with the Poet: "As I encounter life around me, I feel a heavy kinship with the speaker in today's poem, their embrace of the world exhibits the ecstatic yearning and vulnerability essential to the imagination." (04:50)

Jackson articulates his connection to the poet's vulnerability and yearning, setting the tone for the poem's presentation.

Presentation of "In Love"

Chloe Martinez's "In Love" is a contemplative piece that delves into the nuances of love, memory, and personal growth. The poem intertwines vivid imagery with deep emotional resonance, capturing the essence of both infatuation and mature understanding.

Imagery and Setting: "In Mount Abu, where the lake was named Naki Fingernail and the surrounding mountains were said to be holy fragments of the body of a goddess who fell to earth there." (05:50)

The poet uses rich geographical and spiritual imagery to ground the emotional landscape of love.
Reflection on Past and Present: "She didn't know much. I wasn't in love with her then, but now I see her better." (07:30)

Martinez explores the evolution of her feelings, distinguishing between initial allure and a deeper, more informed connection.
Emotional Complexity: "sometimes tired or heavy with sadness and experience, which are often the same thing but other times electric, connected back to that person." (06:45)

The poem acknowledges the multifaceted nature of emotions, blending weariness with vitality.

Conclusion and Reflections

After presenting the poem, Major Jackson reflects on its themes and their relevance to both his personal journey and the broader human experience.

Enduring Impact of Early Love: Jackson draws connections between his youthful crush and the lasting impressions it left on his identity and artistic expression.
The Role of Poetry: He emphasizes how poetry serves as a medium to process and articulate complex emotions, offering solace and understanding.
Encouragement to Listeners: Jackson invites listeners to engage deeply with the poem, encouraging personal reflection and appreciation of poetic expression.

Final Thoughts

This encore episode of The Slowdown masterfully blends personal narrative with poetic exploration, providing a rich and engaging experience for listeners. Major Jackson's introspective storytelling, coupled with Chloe Martinez's evocative poetry, offers a profound moment of reflection on love, memory, and the human condition.

For those who missed the original episode, this summary encapsulates the essence of Major Jackson's reflections and the poignant beauty of "In Love" by Chloe Martinez, making it a worthwhile listen for enthusiasts of poetry and personal storytelling alike.

Listen to More Episodes:
Explore back catalog episodes hosted by Tracy K. Smith, Ada Limón, and guest hosts Jenny Xie, Brenda Shaughnessy, Tina Chang, Nate Marshall, Shira Erlichiman, and Jason Schneiderman. Discover a curated selection of poems that move the hosts and, hopefully, resonate with you too.

Stay Connected:
To receive a daily poem, visit slowdownshow.org and sign up for the newsletter. Follow The Slowdown on Instagram @SlowdownShow.

Timestamps Overview

00:46 - Introduction to personal reflection on first love
02:10 - Emotional turmoil and its impact
04:05 - Parental guidance and its influence
04:50 - Connecting with the poem's themes
05:50 - Poem's imagery and setting
06:45 - Emotional complexity in the poem
07:30 - Reflection on evolving feelings

Transcript

Uncle (0:00)

I' ma put you on, nephew.

Major Jackson (0:01)

All right, unc.

McDonald's Employee (0:02)

Welcome to McDonald's.

Major Jackson (0:03)

Can I take your order, miss?

Uncle (0:04)

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Major Jackson (0:11)

Snack wrap is back.

Uncle (0:16)

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Major Jackson (0:46)

Hey, it's Major. Over the past few years, I've had the great privilege of sharing poetry with you and offering a daily moment to pause and slow down. Today we're revisiting one of my favorite episodes from my time on the show. I hope you enjoy this selection. I'm Major Jackson, and this is the Slow the first time I was in love, I started missing baseball practice. Instead, I went to the library. Cherise spent afternoons after school doing her homework. There, I could barely think about anything but her. Not my upcoming games, not my algebra homework, not the transitive properties of acute angles, not even the high school I would attend. After middle school, popular songs took on meaning in a way they hadn't before. Love me in a special way. What more can I say? What an immense feeling to live with a perennial lump in my chest. Whenever Cherie returned a book to a shelf, I picked it up and skimmed it without giving away my identity. I left notes in the books she read. More than once, she spawned my first flying dream. I flew over houses and landed in her backyard, where we ate pound cake. So you probably figured by now it wasn't love, but a crush. Friends, coaches and family noticed my forlornness. My mom was the first to figure it out. She encouraged me to say a kind word to Cherie and just talk to her without all the passionate feelings. I did, and it went nowhere. Now I laugh, thinking of my preteen self. That fall I began high school, I found another girl who sparked amorous feelings. While I do not aimlessly fall in love anymore, that spirit of infatuation still makes up my inner disposition as a poet. As I encounter life around me, I feel a heavy kinship with the speaker in today's poem, their embrace of the world exhibits the ecstatic yearning and vulnerability essential to the imagination. In Love by Chloe Martinez After Dorianne Locks I'm in love with you coffee and with you green ink in my pen and with you imaginary reader. I'm in love with you recirculated office air that gets a little too warm, then a little too cold, because now I am putting on and taking off repeatedly this shawl I got long ago, when I was a student living in India for the first time, and it still smells like incense. In Mount Abu, where the lake was named Naki Fingernail and the surrounding mountains were said to be holy fragments of the body of a goddess who fell to earth there. I was a little in love with her. I climbed long flights of stone stairs to visit the mountain cave shrines where she accepted flowers, coconuts, and cash. Shaw I'm in love with your pattern of vines, your border that runs wild. I'm in love with you memory of how my body felt then, curious and excited, shy and defiant. Also you knowledge of how it feels now, sometimes tired or heavy with sadness and experience, which are often the same thing but other times electric, connected back to that person. She didn't know much. I wasn't in love with her then, but now I see her better. How she stood unsure on a rural road nowhere she had to be in the forest, lush and loud all around her. The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. This project is also supported in part by 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. Find us on Instagram, SlowdownShow and blue sky@slowdownshow.org.