Audio Poem of the Day Conversation 23: On Cause
Jan 10, 2026
Rosmarie Waldrop, a renowned poet and translator celebrated for her innovative approach to contemporary poetry, shares her insights on life and memory. She reflects on how a woman’s body marks time through motherhood and loss, contrasting terrifying moments with the indifferent flow of a river. Waldrop intertwines the concepts of small actions leading to significant impacts and personifies the heart in a lyrical exploration of identity. Through photography metaphors, she captures memory's development in the dark, culminating in a poignant meditation on clarity and existence.
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Entering A Mother's Room
- Rosmarie Waldrop enters her mother's room and reflects on a woman's body as a calendar of births and deaths.
- The familial tie anticipates any attempt to sever it, blending intimacy with inevitable loss.
Small Causes, Large Effects
- Small causes ripple into large effects, from butterflies to radiation and family residues.
- Waldrop links personal history and environmental traces to broader, unpredictable consequences.
Ordinary Images Carry History
- Everyday images—stoves, apple trees, river reflections—overlay memory and meaning.
- Even clear film can be too clear, smudged only by fingerprints and love's light.