1494: Graduation by Edgar Kunz
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
American Public Media
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2026
⏱️ 8 minutes
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Summary
Today’s poem is Graduation by Edgar Kunz.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem reminds me that even when distance is necessary — or imposed — love and memory are tethers that are elastic. They stretch to accommodate separation. And if we’re lucky, they stretch as needed but don’t snap.”
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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. National Poetry Month is the perfect time to |
| 0:44.4 | champion the daily pause you count on from the slowdown. Your donation keeps these free moments |
| 0:51.2 | of reflection available to anyone who needs them. No paywall, |
| 0:56.4 | just poetry and perspective |
| 0:58.4 | in a short, steady ritual. |
| 1:01.4 | Celebrate poetry this month |
| 1:02.9 | by helping more people access it |
| 1:05.3 | every weekday. Donate and |
| 1:07.9 | show your support at |
| 1:09.7 | slowdownshow.org. |
| 1:17.4 | I'm Maggie Smith, and this is The Slowdown. |
| 1:21.8 | Thank you. We are imperfect, and the people we love are imperfect. |
| 1:37.5 | And the people who love us are imperfect. |
| 1:43.8 | My children know their mother makes mistakes and doesn't have all the |
... |
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