DeepSummary
The episode begins with a poem titled 'What Good Is A Castle' by Linda Susan Jackson. Major Jackson, the host, reflects on how change is the only constant in life, using examples like a closed restaurant, a new news host, and a removed breakfast sandwich from a bagel shop menu. He discusses his fondness for routines and how the predictability of poetic forms like the sonnet provides a sense of safety and regularity, contrasted with the instability of his home life as a teenager.
Jackson then reads the poem, which explores themes of aging, beauty, and the passing of time. The speaker in the poem grapples with the realization that they are no longer recognizable to themselves, and how their once-prized beauty has faded. The poem touches on the fleeting nature of physical attributes and the inevitability of change.
The episode concludes with Jackson acknowledging the force of time and how it transforms us, even as aspects of our former selves linger. He highlights the poem's exploration of the shifting melodies of life, where remnants of what once was remain amidst the constant evolution.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Change is the only constant in life, and nothing is permanent.
- Poetic forms like the sonnet provide a sense of predictability and safety, contrasting with the instability of life's changes.
- Physical beauty and attributes are fleeting, and we become unrecognizable to our former selves as time passes.
- Despite the inevitability of change, remnants of our former selves persist in the form of memories, habits, and echoes of who we once were.
- Poetry can capture the essence of the human experience, including the passage of time and the transformations we undergo.
- Embracing routines and predictability can offer a sense of comfort and stability amidst the constant flux of life.
- Our perception of the world and our place in it shifts as we age and change, altering the melodies of our existence.
- Finding beauty and meaning in the transient nature of existence is a central theme explored in the episode.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I am what was both bounty and beauty added value to the trinity for young skin, possession, performance, profit.“ by Linda Susan Jackson
- “Once my beauty could choke the scarlet off a rose, almost predict the edge of the world, make music out of what happened.“ by Linda Susan Jackson
- “If the sonnet were a person who looked into a mirror, it would not recognize itself after eight centuries.“ by Major Jackson
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Episode Information
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
American Public Media
5/23/24
Today’s poem is What Good Is A Castle by Linda Susan Jackson.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Those signs are back; a favorite restaurant near campus suddenly closed. My network news show has a new host; my local bagel shop removed the best breakfast sandwich this side of cream cheese from its menu board. These are reminders that nothing is permanent. Is anything sacred? Of course not. The only constant in life is change.”
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