[encore] 688: [since feeling is first] by E.E. Cummings - The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Episode Summary: [Encore] 688: "since feeling is first" by E.E. Cummings

Podcast: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Host: American Public Media
Episode Title: [Encore] 688: "since feeling is first" by E.E. Cummings
Release Date: August 11, 2025

Introduction

In this special encore episode of The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily, host Maggie Smith welcomes listeners to revisit a cherished piece from the podcast’s archive. As Maggie gears up to introduce herself as the new host starting August 18th, she expresses her excitement about sharing upcoming episodes. In the interim, she highlights the timeless relevance of Ada Limone’s insights on poetry, setting the stage for a deep and reflective exploration of E.E. Cummings' renowned poem, "since feeling is first."

Ada Limone’s Reflections on Poetry

Ada Limone, a celebrated poet and the featured guest in this episode, delves into the complexities of discussing poetry. She opens with a candid admission of her ambivalence towards the act of explicating poetic works:

“You wouldn't know this about me, but there are times that I actually hate talking about poetry. I mean, even when I was studying at NYU as a young poetry graduate student, even when I teach, even when I talk casually with friends, there are times when I want, like a petulant child, to say, you're ruining it.”
[00:26]

Limone shares a vivid anecdote illustrating this sentiment. She recounts a moment in Central Park when a friend inquired about her approach to crafting endings in her poems. The question left her feeling “betrayed,” as if delving into the mechanics of her work was akin to committing “heresy” against the sacred experience of poetry:

“He saw me blush and asked why I was suddenly silent. I said that it felt sometimes like blasphemy to talk about how a poem worked.”
[00:50]

Despite these reservations, Limone acknowledges the enriching aspects of dissecting poetry. She appreciates when others uncover layers in her work that she hadn't previously considered, likening it to “discovering some new code for living still”:

“When someone points out something in my own poem that I haven't seen, it feels like discovering some new code for living still.”
[01:30]

Limone emphasizes the duality of poetry's role in life. While the aesthetic and emotional resonance of a poem’s lines can be profoundly moving, there are moments when she yearns for poetry to transcend the page and inspire tangible action:

“If you've ever been wooed by a poet, or been the poet or artist doing the wooing, there comes a moment when the art is not enough. You need action. More showing, less telling.”
[02:15]

She humorously shares a request from a friend:

“I want them to clean my house and pay my rent.”
[02:30]

This playful demand underscores a longing for poetry to have a more immediate and practical impact on daily life.

Furthermore, Limone touches on how poets perceive the world around them, with one friend able to identify a poem in everyday objects like “a glove in the snow” or “a bird feather stuck in the fence post.” This perspective blurs the lines between the mundane and the poetic, suggesting that the beauty and significance of life are inherently intertwined with language and expression:

“It feels like she is blurring the lines between what we think is a poem and... And what is poetic between what is real life and the language we use to capture it.”
[03:20]

E.E. Cummings' "since feeling is first"

Building upon these reflections, Ada Limone introduces E.E. Cummings' poem "since feeling is first," highlighting its embodiment of the balance between emotional resonance and structural artistry in poetry. She appreciates how the poem affirms the primacy of feeling over rigid syntax, capturing the essence of truly connecting with life’s experiences:

“Today's poem by the beloved poet E.E. Cummings does that work of showing us the resounding yes to the poem and also yes to the real, tangible, touchable life.”
[04:00]

Poem Recitation: "since feeling is first" by E.E. Cummings

Ada Limone proceeds to read E.E. Cummings' "since feeling is first," allowing the poem's lyrical beauty and profound simplicity to resonate with listeners:

since feeling is first
since feeling is first
who pays any attention to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you
wholly to be a fool
while spring is in the world
my blood approves
and kisses are a better fate
than then wisdom
Lady, I swear by all
flowers don't cry
the best gesture of my brain
is less than your eyelids flutter,
which says
we are for each other
then laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
and death, I think, is no parentheses.
[04:20]

Conclusion

Through Ada Limone’s thoughtful discourse and the eloquent verses of E.E. Cummings, this encore episode of The Slowdown invites listeners to contemplate the intricate dance between poetic expression and lived experience. By examining the interplay of emotion and structure, Limone underscores poetry’s enduring power to illuminate and enrich our understanding of both ourselves and the world around us.

For daily poetic reflections, visit slowdownshow.org and subscribe to the newsletter. Follow The Slowdown on Instagram at @Slowdown.Show.

Transcript

Maggie Smith (0:00)

Hi, it's Maggie Smith. I'm the new host of the Slowdown, and I'm so looking forward to sharing new episodes with you starting August 18th. In the meantime, we're revisiting some favorites from the archive, like today's episode from Ada Limone. I'm grateful to share her work with you today.

Ada Limon (0:26)

I'm Ada Limon, and this is the Slow. You wouldn't know this about me, but there are times that I actually hate talking about poetry. I mean, even when I was studying at NYU as a young poetry graduate student, even when I teach, even when I talk casually with friends, there are times when I want, like a petulant child, to say, you're ruining it. You're ruining it by talking about it too much. I once sat with a friend in Central park and he asked me if I could explain what I did with my endings. And I felt suddenly betrayed, as if we were talking about something so intimate and dangerous that to respond would be heresy. He saw me blush and asked why I was suddenly silent. I said that it felt sometimes like blasphemy to talk about how a poem worked. And then, of course, there are days when I feel exactly the opposite. And when explicating a poem, when pulling out the meaning of its punctuation, syntax, line breaks, the meaning of a certain image, certain sounds, somehow makes the poem blossom into something even more meaningful than I thought was possible. When someone points out something in my own poem that I haven't seen, it feels like discovering some new code for living still. It's not always enough, is it? The poem itself, the sexy line, the perfect phrase, are all wonderful. But sometimes we need more from our lives. We need to live off the page. If you've ever been wooed by a poet, or been the poet or artist doing the wooing, there comes a moment when the art is not enough. You need action. More showing, less telling. I had a friend say when asked what she wanted her poems to do. I want them to clean my house and pay my rent. And when we'd go to readings, we'd heckle each other from the crowd. Read the one where I'm rich. Read the one that makes me feel happy. Read the one that makes me feel beautiful. As if poetry could do all that. I have another friend who will stare at something and say, now, that's a poem. A glove in the snow, a bird feather stuck in the fence post. A good meal. It feels like she is blurring the lines between what we think is a poem and. And what is poetic between what is real life and the language we use to capture it. Today's poem by the beloved poet E.E. cummings does that work of showing us the resounding yes to the poem and also yes to the real, tangible, touchable life. Since Feeling is first by E.E. cummings since feeling is first, who pays any attention to the syntax of things will never wholly kiss you wholly to be a fool while spring is in the world my blood approves and kisses are a better fate than then wisdom Lady, I swear by all flowers don't cry the best gesture of my brain is less than your eyelids flutter, which says we are for each other then laugh, leaning back in my arms for life's not a paragraph and death, I think, is no parentheses. 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. Find us on Instagram at Slowdown. Show.