[encore] 303: Telling My Father by James Crews

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily Episode: [encore] 303: Telling My Father by James Crews Release Date: June 4, 2025

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily, hosted by Major Jackson and produced by American Public Media in partnership with The Poetry Foundation, offers daily doses of poetry coupled with moments of reflection. In this encore episode, released on June 4, 2025, the podcast revisits a memorable installment featuring former host Tracy K. Smith. This episode delves into the nuances of love, support, and familial relationships through personal anecdotes and a poignant poem, "Telling My Father" by James Crews.

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1. Introduction to the Vault Episode (01:04 - 01:28)

Major Jackson opens the episode by introducing the concept of revisiting past episodes from The Slowdown’s extensive archive. He highlights Tracy K. Smith as one of the influential voices that have shaped the show's direction. This sets the stage for listeners to experience a deeply reflective and emotional journey through Tracy's selected poem and her accompanying narrative.

Quote:

"Today we're going into the Vault to bring you an episode from Tracy K. Smith, one of the voices that helped shape the Slowdown into what it is today." — Major Jackson (01:04)

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2. Exploring Small Acts of Love and Support (01:28 - 03:30)

Tracy K. Smith begins her segment by contemplating the subtle manifestations of love and support in everyday life. She emphasizes that love often manifests through "small things, gentle gestures rich with import" that might go unnoticed but hold significant emotional weight. Tracy shares personal stories illustrating how these minute acts can profoundly impact one's ability to cope with emotional turmoil.

• Friendship and Emotional Support:

  Tracy recounts a winter evening spent with her friends Layla and Shaina following a heartbreak. They shared pizza, allowed her to express her grief, and created a comforting environment filled with the right balance of laughter and silence. This experience exemplified how friends can "begin the work of easing a burden" that feels insurmountable alone.

  Quote:

  "They ate pizza. They let me cry gently. They stoked the air in those rooms with just what was needed." — Tracy K. Smith (01:38)

• Connection with Loved Ones:

  Another poignant story involves her poet friend Yi Lei and Yi's niece Isha. During a week spent together in Beijing, Tracy highlights their companionship and the profound sense of connection they provided, especially during the emotional goodbye at the airport.

  Quote:

  "We waved to one another across the crowd and again, after a little distance, more looking back ... prolong the time when we were connected in the same space." — Tracy K. Smith (02:41)

• The Role of Pets in Emotional Well-being:

  Major Jackson interjects briefly to highlight the therapeutic presence of pets, prompting Tracy to elaborate on this theme. She reflects on her cat, Lalo, whose silent support helped her navigate the emotional challenges of her 30s, underscoring the mutual care between humans and their pets.

  Quote:

  "Without my cat Lalo, I might never have survived the emotional turbulence of my 30s." — Tracy K. Smith (03:30)

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3. Introduction to "Telling My Father" by James Cruz (03:30 - 06:20)

Transitioning seamlessly, Tracy introduces the featured poem, "Telling My Father" by James Cruz. She categorizes it within the genre of "coming out" poems, highlighting its profound emotional depth and the unspoken gestures of love and recognition it encapsulates.

• Poem Overview:

  Tracy reads excerpts from the poem, vividly describing a moment between a son and his father. The imagery of the father watching a crow scavenging symbolizes deeper themes of understanding and unspoken communication. The son reflects on his father's subtle affirmations amidst personal struggles, illustrating a silent bond that transcends words.

  Quote:

  "I found him on the porch that morning, sipping cold coffee ... My father turned to me then, taking in the reek of my smoke, traces of last night's eyeliner." — Tracy K. Smith (04:10)

• Emotional Resonance:

  Tracy delves into the emotional layers of the poem, interpreting the father's actions as gestures of acceptance and support. The act of leaving a glass of orange juice signifies a thoughtful, non-intrusive way of showing care, embodying the theme of unconditional love and understanding.

  Quote:

  "Whatever it is, I understand. I recognize this thing you carry. What you're feeling makes sense to me. You make sense to me." — Tracy K. Smith (06:00)

• Conclusion and Reflection:

  Wrapping up, Tracy ties the poem back to the overarching theme of the episode—how subtle, wordless gestures can convey profound emotional support and recognition. She emphasizes the importance of these moments in fostering deep, unspoken connections between individuals.

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4. Episode Wrap-Up (06:20 - End)

As Tracy concludes her reading, the episode transitions to sponsor messages, which are not included in this summary. The segment effectively encapsulates the essence of The Slowdown—using poetry to pause, reflect, and connect with the deeper aspects of the human experience.

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Key Takeaways

• Subtle Gestures Hold Profound Meaning: Small acts of kindness and support, whether from friends or pets, play a crucial role in emotional healing and resilience.

• Unspoken Understanding in Relationships: The poem "Telling My Father" illustrates how non-verbal gestures can communicate deep understanding and acceptance within familial relationships.

• The Power of Poetry in Reflection: The Slowdown leverages poetry to facilitate moments of introspection and appreciation for the intricate tapestry of human emotions and connections.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Major Jackson on Revisiting Archives:

  "Today we're going into the Vault to bring you an episode from Tracy K. Smith, one of the voices that helped shape the Slowdown into what it is today." — Major Jackson (01:04)

• Tracy K. Smith on Friends' Support:

  "They ate pizza. They let me cry gently. They stoked the air in those rooms with just what was needed." — Tracy K. Smith (01:38)

• Tracy K. Smith on Mutual Care with Pets:

  "Without my cat Lalo, I might never have survived the emotional turbulence of my 30s." — Tracy K. Smith (03:30)

• Tracy K. Smith on Understanding Through the Poem:

  "Whatever it is, I understand. I recognize this thing you carry. What you're feeling makes sense to me. You make sense to me." — Tracy K. Smith (06:00)

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This episode of The Slowdown exemplifies the profound impact of poetry intertwined with personal storytelling, offering listeners a reflective space to contemplate the subtle yet powerful expressions of love and support in their own lives.

Transcript

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[Major]

Hey there. It's major. As we take a look back at the Slowdown's deep well of episodes, we're revisiting some standout moments from past hosts. Today we're going into the Vault to bring you an episode from Tracy K. Smith, one of the voices that helped shape the Slowdown into what it is today. This is just one of the many special selections from our archives.

[Tracy K. Smith]

Foreign I'm Tracy K. Smith and this is the Slowdown. Sometimes love looks like small things, gentle gestures rich with import. We give such things to one another at times without even realizing it. Tiny soul saving acts. I think of my girlfriends Layla and Shaina, who came to pass the evening with me one winter when my heart was freshly broken. We ate pizza. They let me cry gently. They stoked the air in those rooms with just what was needed. Laughter one moment, silence the next. It was just a few short hours over pizza and red wine, but they began the work of easing a burden. I couldn't have moved on my own, and I think of my poet friend Yi Lei and her niece Isha. We spent a week together in Beijing and at the end of my stay they accompanied me to the airport. We said our goodbyes and I passed through a gate for ticketed passengers only. I walked some distance, 80ft, 100, then turned back, wanting to catch one last glimpse of them making their way through the busy space. But they hadn't moved. We waved to one another across the crowd and again, after a little distance, more looking back there, they were helping to prolong the time when we were connected in the same space. Do you know who is excellent at offering this kind of affirmation?

[Major]

Pets.

[Tracy K. Smith]

Sometimes they seem to recognize our emotional state even before it hits, and they rush to meet it with their wordless warmth and intelligence. We spend so much time believing it is we who look after them. And then something hits us, some mammoth loss, some incapacitating stress, and they rise to the occasion with tenderness and constancy. Once in a while it occurs to me that without my cat Lalo, I might never have survived the emotional turbulence of my 30s. I know these gestures tell us I'm here. Whatever it is, I understand. I recognize this thing you carry. What you're feeling makes sense to me. You make sense to me. Today's poem is Telling My Father by James Cruz. I read it as belonging to the genre of coming out poems and and I'm profoundly moved by the wordless gesture of love and recognition in its final lines, Telling My Father by James Cruz I found him on the porch that morning, sipping cold coffee, watching a crow dip down from the power line into the pile of black bags stuffed in the Dumpster, where he pecked and snagged a can tab the then carried it off, clamped in his beak like the key to a room only he knew about. My father turned to me then, taking in the reek of my smoke, traces of last night's eyeliner. I decided not to wipe off this time, out late, was all he said, and then smiled, rubbing the small of my back through the robe for a while before heading inside, letting the storm door click softly shut behind him. Later, when I stepped into the kitchen again, I saw it waiting there on the table, a glass of orange juice he had poured for me and left sweating in a patch of sunlight so bright I couldn't touch it at first. 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.

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