<p>Today’s poem is Northern Flicker Reconsidered by Susan Rich. </p><br/><p>The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Once, during a Q&amp;A after a reading, a woman raised her hand to ask, ‘What’s with all the birds in your poems?’ I had to laugh. She was right: the hawks, grackles, and starlings of my neighborhood have called and swooped into many of my poems. I told her that birds are wildlife that we all have access to, no matter where we live. Birds are everywhere … in cities, in suburbs, in the country. They make cameo appearances in many of my poems, and sometimes they’re even the stars.” </p><br/><p>This show is made possible by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate</p>