[encore] 168: What Does It Say by Tess Gallagher

The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

American Public Media

Arts, Performing Arts

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

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Summary

Today’s poem is What Does It Say by Tess Gallagher.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on July 17, 2019.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “When I packed up for college, back in 1990, I took sneakers and loafers. I probably also brought some nerdy deck shoes, and maybe even a pair of heels. But by the time my sophomore year rolled around, nearly all of those shoes had been replaced by a pair of black cowboy boots. I wore them everyday, even in snow. By the time I came home for the holidays, they were worn down at the heel and a coin-sized hole had been worn through each sole. I was afraid I’d have to let them go, but my mother took them to the shoe repairman, who resoled them, built the heels back up, and polished them to a high shine, reviving them to their former glory!”

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Transcript

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1:00.1	Hey there, it's Major. As we take a look back at the slowdown's deep well of episodes,
1:05.7	we're revisiting some standout moments from past hosts. Today, we're going into the vault to bring you an episode from Tracy K. Smith, one of
1:15.3	the voices that helped shape the slowdown into what it is today.
1:19.6	This is just one of the many special selections from our archives.
1:50.0	I'm Tracy K. Smith, and took sneakers and loafers. I probably also brought some nerdy deck shoes and maybe even a pair of heels.
1:56.0	But by the time my sophomore year rolled around, nearly all of those shoes had been replaced by a pair of black cowboy boots.
2:04.6	I wore them every day, even in snow.
2:08.6	By the time I came home for the holidays, they were worn down at the heel, and a coin-sized hole had been worn through each soul. I was afraid I'd have to let them go,
2:21.6	but my mother took them to the shoe repairman, who resold them, built the heels back up,
2:28.8	and polished them to a high shine, reviving them to their former glory. I used to have a great shoe repairman
2:38.6	in Brooklyn Heights. He brought a pair of kitten heels back to life many a time. You need someone
2:46.2	you can rely on in a city with abundant cobblestones. But once, in haste, I surrendered a pair of agonizing heels
	...

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