[encore] 789: hoop snake by Rebecca Wee

Summary

Summary of Episode 789: "Hoop Snake" by Rebecca Wee

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Episode Title: [encore] 789: Hoop Snake by Rebecca Wee
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Host: Ada Limon

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Introduction

In this episode of The Slowdown, host Ada Limon delves into the intricate relationship between humans and nature through the lens of mythology and personal reflection. Ada intertwines her childhood beliefs with contemporary understandings, setting the stage for Rebecca Wee's evocative poem, "Hoop Snake."

Ada Limon's Reflections on Myths and Belief

Childhood Beliefs and the Allure of Myths

Ada begins by reminiscing about her childhood fascination with stories that blurred the lines between reality and fiction. She shares how myths and tales, whether from Aesop's fables or her mother's narratives, created a seamless tapestry of belief and wonder.

"As a child, I believed everything anyone told me. As long as it was a good story... All stories seemed equally connected and equally true, equally important."
[01:30]

Dissecting Misconceptions in Nature

Ada transitions to discussing specific myths about the natural world that shaped her understanding. She recounts the belief that ants are essential for peonies to bloom, only to later discover the partial truth—that while ants do benefit peonies by protecting them from aphids, the flowers do not rely solely on them for blooming.

"Ants do feast on the nectar of peonies, and ants do protect peonies from aphids. So the relationship is mutually beneficial, but the flowers do not require ants to open them."
[03:15]

Similarly, Ada touches upon the misconception surrounding Spanish moss, initially thought to harm trees. Her research reveals that Spanish moss doesn't extract nutrients from trees but absorbs moisture and sunlight from the air, and it's not even a true moss but a bromeliad.

"Spanish moss gets no nutrients from the trees, but rather takes the moisture and sunlight out of the air. It's also not a moss, it's a bromeliad."
[04:50]

Longing for Interconnectedness

These revelations lead Ada to express a longing for the myths she once cherished—stories that emphasized a deep interdependence among species. She yearns for narratives that highlight the essential connections that sustain life on Earth.

"I miss that myth because I am always looking for examples of how species are all intertwined, how we need one another to survive in this world."
[04:20]

Presentation of the Poem: "Hoop Snake" by Rebecca Wee

Exploring Myth and Belief

Ada introduces Rebecca Wee's poem "Hoop Snake," which navigates the thin veil between myth and reality. The poem weaves the legend of the hoop snake—a mythical creature that grasps its tail and rolls like a hoop—into a broader contemplation of faith and the miraculous.

Notable Excerpts and Analysis

"Any of several snakes, such as the mud snake, said to grasp the tail in the mouth and move with a rolling hoop like motion."
[02:00]

The poem reflects on a conversation about belief in God and the allure of miracles, juxtaposing natural phenomena with supernatural explanations.

"But there are reasons to believe in God, and this seems a good one."
[03:25]

As the poem progresses, it delves into the tension between skepticism and faith, illustrating the human desire for the extraordinary amidst the ordinary.

"We are after something miraculous. We open our mouths, we believe, we turn."
[04:30]

Themes of the Poem

"Hoop Snake" encapsulates themes of:

• Myth vs. Reality: Examining how myths shape our understanding of the world.
• Faith and Doubt: Balancing skepticism with the yearning for belief in the miraculous.
• Interconnectedness: Reflecting on how myths articulate the relationships between humans and nature.

Insights and Conclusions

Ada Limon masterfully intertwines her personal reflections with Rebecca Wee's poetic exploration, creating a compelling narrative about the role of myths in human perception. She underscores the importance of storytelling in fostering a sense of wonder and interconnectedness, even as factual understanding evolves.

The Enduring Power of Myth

The episode serves as a reminder of the enduring power of myths to convey complex truths about our existence and our relationship with the natural world. By revisiting these stories, Ada encourages listeners to embrace both the factual and the fantastical, finding harmony in the balance between knowledge and wonder.

Embracing Wonder in the Modern World

In a world increasingly driven by science and empirical evidence, Ada's reflections and Rebecca Wee's poem invite us to reclaim the sense of wonder that myths once provided. This episode is a poignant exploration of how belief systems, whether mythical or factual, shape our collective journey and understanding.

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For those seeking to incorporate poetry and reflection into their daily routines, this episode of The Slowdown offers a profound meditation on belief, myth, and the intricate dance between humans and the natural world.

Transcript

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[Ada Limon]

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[Ada Limon]

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[Ada Limon]

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[Ada Limon]

I'm Ada Limon and this is the Slowdown As a child, I believed everything anyone told me. As long as it was a good story. If it was something that delighted me or frightened me or seemed to have a purpose to its narrative, that I was all in. There wasn't much of a difference between Aesop's fable and my mother telling me about a weasel killing the chickens we kept in the backyard. All stories seemed equally connected and equally true, equally important. Up until recently, I believed what I once heard that peonies, one of my favorite flowers, actually required ants to bloom. I thought they tickled the petals open and I imagine their little feet doing the work of slowly opening those tightly packed petals until voila, the flower was open and symbiotic relationships all made sense. But it turns out that's not entirely true. Ants do feast on the nectar of peonies, and ants do protect peace peonies from aphids. So the relationship is mutually beneficial, but the flowers do not require ants to open them. Now I miss that myth. I miss it because I am always looking for examples of how species are all intertwined, how we need one another to survive in this world. A few days ago, a friend told me that Spanish moss, a moss. I love the way it droops down over the water oaks like mint colored lace, draping the world in a gauzy dappled light was actually killing the trees. But this myth is gratefully not true. We investigate it further and it turns out Spanish moss gets no nutrients from the trees, but rather takes the moisture and sunlight out of the air. It's also not a moss, it's a bromeliad. It's also not Spanish, but native to the US and Mexico and South America. I like that I can still love Spanish moss and can still think of those beautiful fabric, like threads floating through the canopy, as benevolent. I want all the good myths to be true because I want to believe in wonder. Today's poem examines another myth in the natural world and in doing so, asks what it is we believe in and why. Hoop Snake by Rebecca Wee Any of several snakes, such as the mud snake, said to grasp the tail in the mouth and move with a rolling hoop like motion. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language the second time we met, he told me about the hoop snake, temporal, exquisite, a godless man. So I listened. We weren't sure, though, if it could be true. A snake that takes its tail in its mouth, then rolls through the world. But there are reasons to believe in God, and this seems a good one. We brought wine to the porch, spoke of piety, marriage, devotion assumed for reasons that could not sustain it. While lightning took apart the sky, the fields leapt up, the stream's muddy luster, its sinuous length liminal, lush, the grass black, the unheard melodies and those that catch the leaves beginning to fret. I don't remember now what he said, his eyes revising that dark after he left I walked through the grass, the rain asked how do things work? We are after something miraculous. We open our mouths, we believe, we turn. At times we gather speed.

[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 at slowdown show and blueskylowdownshow.org the slowdown is written by me, Major Jackson. Our lead producer is Micah Kilbon, and our associate producer is Maria Wartell. Our music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado, engineering by Josh Savageau. Our digital producer is James Napoli. Additional production help by Susanna Sharpless, Rebecca Rand, and Lauren Humphert. Our executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith.

[Ada Limon]

Foreign.

[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.