
1425: The Ship by Bianca Stone
1/01/2026 | 5 mins.
Today’s poem is The Ship by Bianca Stone.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem feels right for today because it’s a “new year, same you” poem. Because being who you are, and nothing more, is exactly what you need to be doing—this year, next year, every year.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp

1424: White Hot Star by W. Todd Kaneko
12/31/2025 | 5 mins.
Today’s poem is White Hot Star by W. Todd Kaneko.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem is about fathers and sons, and about loss. It is also about the small, shining parts of our lives that survive us and get passed down to the next generation.”Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp

1423: Puzzle by Randall Mann
12/30/2025 | 6 mins.
Today’s poem is Puzzle by Randall Mann.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem is a kind of mirror: the second half matches the first, in reverse. As I was reading The People’s Project submissions from contributors, I felt strongly that this poem should come last, closing the book. Perhaps, when you listen to the ending, you’ll sense why.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp

1422: Dear Delinquent by Ann Townsend
12/29/2025 | 5 mins.
Today’s poem is Dear Delinquent by Ann Townsend. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “It’s exciting to know that I can dive deep into another human being and never touch bottom. I will never know everything there is to know. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to spend many years with the people I love, learning as much as I can, and watching them grow and change, and being surprised and delighted by them! If I’m lucky, I’ll continue to change, too, and the people who love me will be surprised and delighted by those changes.”Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp

1421: My 1994 by Stephanie Burt
12/26/2025 | 5 mins.
Today’s poem is My 1994 by Stephanie Burt. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “In 1994 I was seventeen: my daughter’s age! I remember that as a time when I was trying to figure out who I was. But to some degree we’re always trying to figure that out, aren’t we?” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp



The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily