I'm Major Jackson, and this is The Slowdown.

This is the Slowdown.

This is my last official episode as host of The Slowdown.

It features someone who has supported me in this role throughout, my wife, the poet, D.D. Jackson.

The past two years of reading and reflecting on the words of many admired poets were often done in collaboration with her, often my first pair of eyes.

She joined me in reading numerous literary journals and poetry magazines.

She recommended new voices, listened patiently as I read out loud first drafts of scripts, fact-checked my stories, and made sure I took care of myself whenever I was inclined to ignore my health.

Our family dog is a gray and black terrier we named Finn.

Dedey loves Finn.

He is dog aggressive.

Despite multiple attempts at training, Finn never warmed up to other canines.

When he was a puppy, we took him to a group class.

While other dogs cavorted in a brightly lit room, Finn mostly sat in a corner, gnawing at his leash and low-level growling.

At the end of the session, we were asked not to return.

We hired several private dog trainers. One simply yanked his chain on walks around the

block. Didi winced every time. The other trainer encouraged us to learn to divert when trouble nears.

So we crossed the street when another dog and its owner approached.

They all brought forth tons of treats out of fanny packs.

We never got comfortable with the shot collar and ruled out weekends at a training site for military dogs.

We tried playdates with friends' dogs, which always ended the same. Finn never saw any reason to trust

another dog enough to play. So we drive by dog parks and look longingly, thinking he'll mellow out

with age. We know he was shaped by his days roaming the streets.

...