1490: Smalltown Lift by Brian Blanchfield
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
American Public Media
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 9 April 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
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Summary
Today’s poem is Smalltown Lift by Brian Blanchfield.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “One of the most challenging things about being in a relationship, especially a new one, is communication. I’ve certainly been guilty of doing what some of you listening have probably done, too: not saying how I feel, not asking for what I want, not being clear in my communication. When we don’t say what’s on our minds, it’s usually out of fear — fear of being rejected, of upsetting the other person, of blowing the whole thing up. You might not share music you love or activities you enjoy if you think they’ll be judged as uncool; you might try to play it safe and not show too much of your true, quirky self.”
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Happy Poetry Month! |
| 0:02.0 | Friends of the Slowdown are invited to celebrate |
| 0:06.0 | with a special offer from Poetry Magazine. |
| 0:09.0 | This April, an annual subscription to poetry includes a limited edition notebook. |
| 0:16.0 | The notebook features a devious quote from Dorothy Alaska on its cover. |
| 0:22.7 | I'm almost always lying in a poem. |
| 0:26.7 | And the full poem is inside. |
| 0:29.7 | Use the notebook for your own poems, lies, and secrets. |
| 0:35.2 | Subscribe today at poetry magazine.org slash lying. |
| 0:41.4 | Each episode of The Slowdown offers you a moment of attention, a poem and reflection that |
| 0:48.1 | shift your perspective during busy days. In celebration of National Poetry Month, |
| 0:53.6 | you can now receive an added benefit when you |
| 0:56.5 | support the Slowdown, a sponsorship-free version of the podcast. Keep your listening centered on poetry |
| 1:03.8 | because the best moments of your day are uninterrupted. Learn more when you make your gift at slowdown show.org |
| 1:12.8 | and thank you. |
| 1:20.0 | I'm Maggie Smith, and this is the Slowdown. |
| 1:23.9 | Thank you. slow down. |
| 1:42.5 | Is it just me, or would relationships be so much easier if we just said how we felt and what we wanted? |
| 1:44.6 | So much of the angst of dating, |
| 1:47.8 | I'll be old fashioned and used the word courtship, |
| 1:51.6 | is worrying that you and the other person |
| 1:54.5 | aren't on the same page. |
... |
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