[encore] 403: The Book of Genesis by Morgan Parker

Summary

Episode Summary: [Encore] 403: "The Book of Genesis" by Morgan Parker

Podcast Information

• Title: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
• Host: Major Jackson
• Producer: American Public Media in partnership with The Poetry Foundation
• Supporters: National Endowment for the Arts
• Release Date: June 26, 2025

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Introduction and Episode Selection (01:02 - 01:32)

In this encore episode of The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily, host Major Jackson revisits a memorable segment from a previous host, Tracy K. Smith. Highlighting the depth and continuity of the podcast, Major introduces the episode as a special selection from their archival vault, emphasizing the enduring impact of past hosts on the show's evolution.

Notable 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 [01:02]

Tracy K. Smith’s Reflection on Social Identity (01:33 - 06:16)

Tracy K. Smith delves into a profound exploration of social identity, focusing on the markers such as race, gender, disability, and sexuality. She recounts a pivotal group exercise that illuminated her relationship with these aspects of identity, particularly emphasizing her racial identity as both a source of pride and vulnerability.

Smith articulates her personal journey, reflecting on how race served as a "home base" and a lens through which she navigated both pride and experiences of being profiled. She shares poignant memories of her childhood, where discussing race was confined to the safety of home, leading to a prevailing silence in broader social settings. This silence persisted until her sophomore year in college, when an African American literature course ignited meaningful conversations about race, nation, selfhood, and community—dialogues that continue to shape her understanding today.

Notable Quotes:

“Race was a source of pride. Race was also a reason for which I could recall being profiled or targeted. Through good times and bad.” – Tracy K. Smith [02:15]

“Acknowledging my race opened up a huge gulf of discomfort between me and the white kids I grew up going to school with.” – Tracy K. Smith [04:05]

“I found my way into a glorious and difficult and enlightening conversation about race, nation, selfhood, and community, a conversation that continues to this day.” – Tracy K. Smith [05:10]

Smith also expresses a heartfelt connection with her daughter’s ability to articulate her identity, which fosters hope and joy for future conversations about race and identity.

Presentation of "The Book of Genesis" by Morgan Parker (06:16 - 07:09)

Transitioning seamlessly from her reflections, Tracy K. Smith introduces the featured poem of the day, "The Book of Genesis" by Morgan Parker. She highlights Parker's talent for exploring and bearing witness to the experience of blackness, setting the stage for an evocative poetic journey.

The Poem: "The Book of Genesis" by Morgan Parker

Once I was lone brown spot in a garden of upright stems. They said, what do you have to say? Let your dry lips open, Let cocoa powder rain onto our desks. They stared at me for six days as if I were a peach pit, as if by lunchtime I would be swallowed into the sandbox like a dream. They led me to a sink, made me wash my hands in cold oil. I was a temple angels are watching over, they chanted until I never slept. My eyes turned purple with guilt and imagination. They never let me eat the stale body or fill my ribs with bitter juice. They led me to an apple tree I swear to God told me to sit and wait until my earrings got heavy and I could see right through the whole damn city. These days I think I can find truth in song as if it started inside me. These days I think a powdered rock could save us Cold oils of a stranger's tongue and I sleep with my hands in little fists tucked close to my chin. This is the way my people have slept for years. Oh garden of soiled light. I believe in different reasons.

Analysis and Insights

Through vivid imagery and metaphorical language, Parker navigates themes of isolation, identity, and resilience. The "lone brown spot" symbolizes the poet's unique position within a predominantly white environment, grappling with expectations and the pressure to conform. The repeated references to being watched and controlled reflect systemic oppression and the internalization of societal judgments.

Parker's journey from external imposition to internal truth—"truth in song as if it started inside me"—illustrates a reclaiming of agency and self-expression. The poem’s conclusion, "Oh garden of soiled light. I believe in different reasons," signifies a reclamation of space and identity, embracing diverse narratives and perspectives.

Notable Lines:

“They said, what do you have to say? Let your dry lips open, Let cocoa powder rain onto our desks.” – Morgan Parker [02:30]

“These days I think I can find truth in song as if it started inside me.” – Morgan Parker [05:45]

“This is the way my people have slept for years.” – Morgan Parker [06:30]

Conclusion and Reflections (07:09 - End)

After the poem, the episode transitions into production credits and upcoming content promotions, which are beyond the scope of this summary. However, the essence of the episode remains a powerful blend of personal reflection and poetic expression, offering listeners both intimacy and universal resonance.

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Key Takeaways:

• Personal Journey: Tracy K. Smith's exploration of racial identity underscores the complexities of navigating personal and societal expectations.
• Poetic Resonance: Morgan Parker's "The Book of Genesis" serves as a poignant reflection on identity, resilience, and the quest for self-expression amidst systemic challenges.
• Continuity and Legacy: The encore episode highlights The Slowdown's commitment to preserving and celebrating impactful moments from its diverse roster of hosts.

This episode enriches listeners' understanding of the intersection between personal identity and poetic expression, inviting a deeper contemplation of the shared human experience through the lens of race and selfhood.

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 arch.

[Tracy K. Smith]

Tracy K.

I'm Tracy K. Smith, and this is the Slowdown. Last fall, I participated in a group exercise around the markers of social identity. When do you find yourself leaning into your identity as determined by markers like race, gender, disability, or sexuality? By which of these things have you been made vulnerable? In which mode of your social identity do you find the greatest sense of security? Again and again, my responses revealed that my racial identity was the one I cleaved to. Race, for me, was a source of pride. Race was also a reason for which I could recall being profiled or targeted. Through good times and bad. Race was a kind of home base. But when I was a child, things were different. Race felt like something I had no words to discuss. Talking about it in the safety of home was okay, but outside of that safe space, things were different. Acknowledging my race opened up a huge gulf of discomfort between me and the white kids I grew up going to school with. It was there, plain to see, impossible to deny. But more often than not, acknowledging it opened up a can of worms nobody quite knew what to do with. I lived with a prevailing silence around such topics until sophomore year of college when I took my first course in African American literature and found my way into a glorious and difficult and enlightening conversation about race, nation, selfhood, and community, a conversation that continues to this day. I'm grateful that the world has changed in the intervening decades. Sometimes my daughter's vocabulary for talking about her identity gives me a twinge of retroactive envy, but mostly it gives me hope and relief and joy. Today's poem is the Book of Genesis by Morgan Parker Parker's poems fill me with a similar joy for the ways they ponder and bear witness to the experience of blackness. The Book of Genesis by Morgan Parker Once I was lone brown spot in a garden of upright stems. They said, what do you have to say? Let your dry lips open, Let cocoa powder rain onto our desks. They stared at me for six days as if I were a peach pit, as if by lunchtime I would be swallowed into the sandbox like a dream. They led me to a sink, made me wash my hands in cold oil. I was a temple angels are watching over, they chanted until I never slept. My eyes turned purple with guilt and imagination. They never let me eat the stale body or fill my ribs with bitter juice. They led me to an apple tree I swear to God told me to sit and wait until my earrings got heavy and I could see right through the whole damn city. These days I think I can find truth in song as if it started inside me. These days I think a powdered rock could save us Cold oils of a stranger's tongue and I sleep with my hands in little fists tucked close to my chin. This is the way my people have slept for years. Oh garden of soiled light. I believe in different reasons.

[Major]

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 [e-mail] to get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter. Find us on Instagram at slowdownshow and blueskylowdownshow.org.

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