[encore] 624: Sunflowers in the Median

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode: [Encore] 624: Sunflowers in the Median
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Host: Major Jackson
Original Host Featured: Ada Limone

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Introduction to Archived Episodes

[01:24] Major Jackson:
In this special encore episode, Major Jackson revisits the archives of The Slowdown to present a favorite segment from former host Ada Limone. Highlighting Ada's thoughtful approach and profound appreciation for poetry, Major sets the stage for a deeply reflective experience.

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Ada Limone’s Personal Reflection

[01:49] Ada Limone:
Ada begins by sharing a poignant personal narrative that intertwines her early adulthood adventures with the enduring beauty of sunflowers. She recounts graduating early from high school at 17 and moving to Germany to accompany her boyfriend. Their journey across Europe, filled with travels by train, stays in hostels, and moments of both conflict and reconciliation, paints a vivid backdrop for her reflections.

• Travel Experiences:
  “We could use his father's house as home base. He lived in a little town called Vickshausen, and from there we went to Spain, France, England, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Czechia.”
  (Timestamp [02:15])
  Ada captures the spirit of youthful exploration and the complexities of relationships nurtured on the road.

• Encounter with Sunflowers:
  A memorable moment arises when Ada and her boyfriend pass by a field bursting with sunflowers during their walks to a favorite Italian restaurant.
  “I remember being so taken aback by how many sunflowers there were, it felt like being attacked by beauty.”
  (Timestamp [03:10])
  This encounter becomes a metaphor for the unexpected and overwhelming moments of beauty that punctuate life's journey.

• Philosophical Insights:
  Ada contemplates the impact of beauty on self-awareness:
  “What is it about noticing beauty that brings you out of yourself and returns you to yourself?”
  (Timestamp [04:00])
  She reflects on how appreciating beauty helps manage life's challenges by providing moments of awe and grounding.

• Connection to Present Life:
  Transitioning to her current environment, Ada shares how she nurtures small plants in her living room, symbolizing resilience and a continued appreciation for life’s subtler beauties.
  “They might not be an overwhelming burst of golden wonders, but they are green and living, and they remind me that I am living too.”
  (Timestamp [05:45])

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Poem Presentation: "Sunflowers in the Median" by Natalie Homer

[06:00] Ada Limone:
Ada introduces Natalie Homer's "Sunflowers in the Median," emphasizing its exploration of everyday beauty and the quiet moments that define our connection to the world.

"Sunflowers in the Median"

Everything is a union of one kind or another.
Foothills know this. Highways too.
In the median, wild sunflowers for miles.
Cheerful, unassuming, they are no one's bouquet.

My dad and I try very hard to seem at ease with each other.
We comment on the bison stampeding across the casino's electric sign.
Pixelated, their clouded breath leads them again and again over an imagined prairie.

Later, I will make this drive every day,
memorize little landmarks, the row of cottonwoods,
the peaked shelter at the reservoir's edge,
the water towers marking the reservation.
I will become so sick of sagebrush, the snow and the sun,
an incessant blue sky, that I'll wilt to think of this place being home.

But today it's a morning I'm not sorry to be awake for.
So that's something.
And no one mourns a coyote with his russet head resting on the road's shoulder.
Neither does the ditch fire elicit sympathy.

The sunflowers did not teach me this, but their small faces
look so cheerful, bouncing in the slipstream of traffic.
I will believe anything they say.

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Analysis and Reflection

Ada Limone:
Post-reading, Ada delves into the poem's themes, drawing parallels between the persistent cheerfulness of sunflowers and the human capacity to find hope amidst routine struggles.

• Connection to Personal Experience:
  Ada relates the poem to her own life, emphasizing how simple, natural beauty can serve as a beacon of resilience.
  “In today's vibrant poem, we see how the image of sunflowers can allow for a sort of grace.”
  (Timestamp [06:20])
  She appreciates the poem’s ability to find solace and strength in unexpected places, much like her personal experiences with sunflowers.

• Embracing Beauty:
  Ada underscores the importance of embracing moments of beauty to navigate life's complexities.
  “I love this poem for its appreciation of unexpected beauty... for those unexpected visions that make life a little easier to manage right now.”
  (Timestamp [06:45])

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Conclusion and Acknowledgments

[06:31] Major Jackson:
Major wraps up the encore episode by acknowledging the collaborative efforts behind The Slowdown. He highlights the contributions of APM Studios, The Poetry Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additionally, he credits the production team, past producers, and the creative minds who have shaped the show.

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Notable Quotes

• Ada Limone on Beauty and Self-Awareness:
  “What is it about noticing beauty that brings you out of yourself and returns you to yourself?”
  (Timestamp [04:00])

• Major Jackson on Ada Limone’s Legacy:
  “Her thoughtfulness and deep love of poetry made her time on the show very special.”
  (Timestamp [01:24])

• Ada Limone on Current Life:
  “They might not be an overwhelming burst of golden wonders, but they are green and living, and they remind me that I am living too.”
  (Timestamp [05:45])

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Final Thoughts

This encore episode of The Slowdown serves as a heartfelt tribute to Ada Limone’s tenure, encapsulating her ability to intertwine personal narratives with poetic reflection. Through the shared reading of "Sunflowers in the Median," listeners are invited to meditate on the subtle beauties that sustain us, reinforcing the podcast’s mission to provide daily moments of calm, inspiration, and connection through the timeless art of poetry.

For those seeking to incorporate poetry into their daily routine—be it during morning coffee, a nature walk, or an evening unwind—The Slowdown continues to be an essential companion, offering both emerging voices and cherished classics that illuminate the shared human journey.

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Transcript

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[Major Jackson]

Hey, it's me, Major Jackson. We're reaching into the archive to bring you some of our favorites. Here's one from Ada Limone's tenure as host. Her thoughtfulness and deep love of poetry made her time on the show very special. I hope you enjoy this selection from the archives.

[Ada Limone]

I'm Ada Limone and this is the Slowdown. When I was 17, I graduated early from high school and moved to Germany to follow my boyfriend, who had moved there with his father. The goal was to travel as much as we could on the very little money we had saved up from working through high school. We could use his father's house as home base. He lived in a little town called Vickshausen, and from there we went to Spain, France, England, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Czechia. Mostly by train, mostly staying in hostels or camping, mostly fighting and then making up again. We weren't home in Germany too often, but when we were, one of our favorite places to go was a little Italian restaurant that was a few miles away. It was cheap and served as wine. We'd walk there across the train tracks and through back roads and miraculously passed a field of sunflowers. I remember being so taken aback by how many sunflowers there were, it felt like being attacked by beauty. I loved that field so much I remember thinking I could be a sunflower seed farmer just to be around all those big faced flowers part of the year. What is it about noticing beauty that brings you out of yourself and returns you to yourself? I remember three or four sunflowers growing in a little plot of dirt in Brooklyn each early summer and I delighted delight in rooting for them. I loved and still love rooting for beauty, for awe, for those unexpected visions that make life a little easier to manage right now. There's snow on the ground still, and there's not much green to be seen. But I have made a wall of plants in our living room window and I am rooting for them. They might not be an overwhelming burst of golden wonders, but they are green and living, and they remind me that I am living too. In today's vibrant poem, we see how the image of sunflowers can allow for a sort of grace. I love this poem for its appreciation of unexpected beauty Sunflowers in the Median by Natalie Homer Everything is a union of one kind or another. Foothills know this. Highways too. In the median, wild sunflowers for miles. Cheerful, unassuming, they are no one's bouquet. My dad and I try very hard to seem at ease with each other. We comment on the bison stampeding across the casino's electric sign. Pixelated, their clouded breath leads them again and again over an imagined prairie. Later, I will make this drive every day, memorize little landmarks, the row of cottonwoods, the peaked shelter at the reservoir's edge, the water towers marking the reservation. I will become so sick of sagebrush, the snow and the sun, an incessant blue sky, that I'll wilt to think of this place being home. But today it's a morning I'm not sorry to be awake for. So that's something. And no one mourns a coyote with his russet head resting on the road's shoulder. Neither does the ditch fire elicit sympathy. The sunflowers did not teach me this, but their small faces look so cheerful, bouncing in the slipstream of traffic. I will believe anything they say.

[Major Jackson]

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, SlowdownShow and blue [e-mail] our lead producer is Micah Kilbon and our associate producer is Maria Wartel. Music for Ada's tenure by Hannis Brown. Engineering by Josh Savageau. Our digital producer is James Napoli. Additional production help by Susannah Sharpless and Lauren Humpert. Special thank you to former Slowdown producers Jennifer For? Lai and Tracy Mumford, who critically shaped the show. You know, Today, our executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith.

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[Ada Limone]

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[Ada Limone]

I want the details.

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