Connor and Jack close out Poetry Month 2020 with a series of shorter episodes about short poems that can be comforting springboards to reflection and contemplation. In this episode, they discuss Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Vocabulary of Dearness." They explore the way the poem captures the power of language and go down the rabbit hole of some of their favorite words. Vocabulary of Dearness By: Naomi Shihab Nye How a single word may shimmer and rise off the page, a wafer of syllabic light, a bulb of glowing meaning, whatever the word, try “tempestuous” or “suffer,” any word you have held or traded so it lives a new life the size of two worlds. Say you carried it up a hill and it helped you move. Without this the days would be thin sticks thrown down in a clutter of leaves, and where is the rake? Find us on Facebook at: facebook.com/closetalking  Find us on Twitter at: twitter.com/closetalking  Find us on Instagram: @closetalkingpoetry You can always send us an e-mail with thoughts on this or any of our previous podcasts, as well as suggestions for future shows, at [email protected].

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related