[encore] 459: The Feeling by Ari Banias

Summary

Podcast Summary: [Encore] 459: "The Feeling" by Ari Banyas

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
• Host/Author: American Public Media
• Episode: [Encore] 459: "The Feeling" by Ari Banyas
• Original Release Date: June 5, 2025

Introduction: In this encore episode of The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily, hosted by Major Jackson and originally guided by Tracy K. Smith, listeners are invited to revisit a poignant exploration of contemporary social issues through the lens of poetry. This episode features the evocative poem "The Feeling" by Ari Banyas, serving as a catalyst for reflection on systemic injustices and societal awakening.

Episode Overview: With The Slowdown temporarily hosting a hiatus, this episode brings forward one of its impactful past presentations under Tracy K. Smith's stewardship. The episode delves into the collective consciousness awakening to long-standing injustices such as racism, transphobia, ableism, sexism, and nationalism. Through introspective narration and poetic expression, the episode encourages listeners to contemplate their roles in perpetuating or dismantling these systemic issues.

Key Discussions and Themes:

1. Awakening to Injustice: Tracy K. Smith opens the episode by highlighting a societal shift where individuals who previously remained indifferent to injustices like racism are now becoming aware and acknowledging these issues. She emphasizes that these are not abstract or distant problems but immediate realities that demand recognition and action.

   • "They're beginning to recognize that it's not a thought, theoretical abstraction affecting faceless, faraway strangers. Now they see it. Now they believe." (02:10)

2. Responsibility and Action: The conversation transitions to the responsibility borne by those awakened to these realities. Smith questions what tangible steps individuals and communities are willing to take to rectify age-old wrongs and address other intertwined systems of injustice.

   • "What are those who are awake to this reality, willing to give up change, renounce, replace, in order to begin righting age old wrongs?" (03:05)

3. Introduction to "The Feeling" by Ari Banyas: The poem serves as a central piece that encapsulates the episode's themes. Smith provides a thoughtful introduction to Banyas's work, setting the stage for a deeper emotional and intellectual engagement with the poem.

   • "Today's poem is 'The Feeling' by Ari Banyas." (04:00)

4. Analysis of "The Feeling": Through recitation and analysis, the poem is deconstructed to reveal its commentary on visibility, oppression, and the subtle forces that govern perception and reality. Banyas uses metaphors like the "red cloud" and references to the moon and finches to symbolize pervasive yet often unnoticed controls within society.

   • "But am I listening? Are we listening to poems? Not much. Therefore I can say anything. No. I can say moon and tree and fox and river, or me and you, or love and stutter. But I can mean corporation. I can mean police, I can mean surveillance, or that the moon is a prison." (05:30)

5. Privatization of the Poetic Voice: The poem concludes with a reflection on how poetry and, by extension, dissenting voices are being co-opted or silenced within societal structures, symbolized by the "red feeling" flag.

   • "This is not our poem. The poem has been privatized. Its flag will be a red feeling." (06:00)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "What must we do in light of all the other systems of injustice in which you and I are implicated?" — Tracy K. Smith (03:30)
• "The inmates and the detainees and correctional facilities in jails and prisons in maximum and minimum security, in solitary cannot see the moon." — Tracy K. Smith (04:45)
• "And meanwhile a law ushered through, noiselessly mandating seeds. This is not our poem." — Tracy K. Smith (05:50)

Insights and Reflections:

• Interconnectedness of Injustices: The episode underscores how various forms of systemic oppression are interwoven, requiring a holistic approach to address them effectively.

• Role of Poetry in Social Discourse: Poetry is presented as a powerful medium for encapsulating complex emotions and fostering deeper understanding of societal issues.

• Call to Active Engagement: Listeners are encouraged to move beyond passive acknowledgment of injustices to active participation in creating meaningful change.

Conclusion: This encore episode of The Slowdown serves as a compelling reminder of the enduring power of poetry to illuminate and challenge societal norms. Through "The Feeling" by Ari Banyas, listeners are invited to engage in introspection and consider their roles in the broader movement towards justice and equality. The episode effectively blends literary artistry with pressing social commentary, embodying the essence of what makes The Slowdown a valuable daily ritual for reflection and inspiration.

Additional Resources: Listeners interested in exploring more episodes can access the back catalog featuring previous hosts and guest contributors, offering a diverse range of poetic voices and themes.

Transcript

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[Major]

Hi, it's Major. The slowdown is on a break right now, but we'll be back soon with a new host. In the meantime, we're bringing you some of the best episodes from our archives. Today we revisit an episode from Tracy K. Smith's time at the helm. Enjoy.

[Tracy K. Smith]

Tracy K. Smith and this is the slowdown we are living through. What I want to believe is an awakening. Many people who have never given an injustice like racism much thought are beginning to think about it. They're beginning to recognize that it's not a thought, theoretical abstraction affecting faceless, faraway strangers. Now they see it. Now they believe. Those of us who have been saying we can see and feel and smell it all this time. Now what? What are those who are awake to this reality, willing to give up change, renounce, replace, in order to begin righting age old wrongs? And what's next? What must we do in light of all the other systems of injustice in which you and I are implicated? Transphobia, ableism, sexism, nationalism. The list is long and close to home. Today's poem is the Feeling by Ari Banyas. Each spring a cloud travels up from the south to an island in the Aegean. The red cloud is coming, the townspeople say, or the red cloud has been here. What cloud? My mother asks. Since when? The red cloud covers the buildings, the cars, in a fine red film of dust from elsewhere that we imagine we cannot feel. The wars is an American feeling that we cannot see them, that we say they are somewhere else, but someone pays the police. We do that. We are meant to believe. The poem can say moon, but not government. Both have flags attached and can make a body howl beyond its will. They punctuate existence. Even if I believe, I can't feel them. They legislate, they leak. The moon, which is always here, even if it cannot be seen. The inmates and the detainees and correctional facilities in jails and prisons in maximum and minimum security, in solitary cannot see the moon. Or they can. The inmates who are here always, even if I cannot see them, who cannot speak to me or who do. But am I listening? Are we listening to poems? Not much. Therefore I can say anything. No. I can say moon and tree and fox and river, or me and you, or love and stutter. But I can mean corporation. I can mean police, I can mean surveillance, or that the moon is a prison. It is daytime, and in daytime nearly no one sees the moon. And the tree is a television where the president appears in the form of a finch. He sings gorgeously. People swoon. We learn that finches eat mostly seeds, small and harmless. So when the tree flowers in spring, we forget the moon and its mute armaments. How drunk we become on blossoms. We don't ask what kind of seeds or where they're from. We hum along with the finches, with the sirens, with the rivers, with the police, a harmony whose falling droplets we can't feel. And meanwhile a law ushered through, noiselessly mandating seeds. This is not our poem. The poem has been privatized. Its flag will be a red feeling. The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation.

[Maika]

Hi everyone. It's Maika, lead producer of the Slowdown. I want to take a minute to talk to you about public media. You may have heard about federal budget cuts and other threats to public media, but what you might not know is that the Slowdown is actually part of the public media ecosystem. If you want to protect your favorite public media podcasts like this one, visit americanpublicmedia.org action to learn how you can help.