Editor’s Note: “Poems to Listen By” is an audio series where over time we will explore some of the themes in the Poet Laura checklist, as well as Tweetspeak’s “Generosity” theme throughout 2021.
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Poems to Listen By: Heart & Soil 08—Zinfandel
Presented by Laurie Klein
Audio Script:
Prolific poet, essayist, activist, and novelist Wendell Berry has also farmed a hillside in his native Kentucky for more than forty years. “The soil is the great connector of our lives,” Berry writes, “the source and destination of all.”
I got to thinking about “all.” Because extraterrestrial life has yet to be discovered, every currently known form of life is considered an “earthling.” We’re also known as Earthers, Terrans, and Gaians.
As the old Dutch proverb says, “We are all baked from the same clay.”
In closing our series today, I’m eager to read you this stunning poem by Jane Mead.
[“Where the Zinfandel Pass Their Seasons in Mute Rows” poem]
I wonder: “What holds [this] world whole” for you? Exactly how is it beautiful? How might it widen? I hope you’ll ponder this, perhaps, write about it.
An ancient Native American proverb says, “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children.”
You’ve just heard “Where the Zinfandel Pass Their Seasons in Mute Rows,” by Jane Mead.
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“Where the Zinfandel Pass Their Seasons in Mute Rows,” from Lord of the General Din of the World (Sarabande Books, 1996) and To the Wren (Alice James Books, 2019), by Jane Mead. Used by permission.
Browse more Poems to Listen By
Photo by Costa Varino, Creative Commons via Flickr. Audio and script by Laurie Klein with thanks to Pat Stien for direction. “Simple Gifts” (public domain). Musical performance, recording, and mastering, by Bill Klein.
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- Poems to Listen By: Yondering—5: Upon Arrival - March 12, 2025
Sandra Heska King says
Oh, Laurie… your voice is so soothing.
“We are all baked from the same clay.” Indeed. I wish we could all remember this.
Also, this is a new poem to me, and I’ll be thinking about it all day. I may just have to come back and listen again.
Laurie Klein says
Hi Sandy, how wonderful to hear from you today, thank you. And thank you for listening to the Mead poem. Rick recommended it, and I’m so glad he did. Vivid and poignant, earthy, and a little strange with that bit about the teeth.
That Dutch proverb is such a leveler, isn’t it. Seems all the more crucial to remember these days.
Bethany Rohde says
Thank you for this, Laurie. You’re right, we are all earthlings. (When I watch sci-fi movies, this pops into my mind too.)
I love the ending of that poem. And I feel Jane Mead’s lines:
“This dawn I walked
the red mud, looking
for something I could know
would never leave me—”
Your voice is such a gift, Laurie. I noticed you mentioned this is the closing of the series? I hope there will be another. 🙂
Laurie Klein says
Dear Bethany, thank you so much. : > )
I’m beyond delighted you’re hoping for more recordings!
The next series awaits its release. Working on the script during the pandemic was timely and stretching as well as fulfilling. I learned a lot. I hope the new project will enrich listeners like you as much as it did me in the process.
Stay tuned . . .
Bethany says
I’m sure it’s a ton of work to create these gems. Well done to you and to the production team. 🙂
(My curiosity is piqued for the next (yay!) series. Any hints on the theme? Or should I just be patient?) 😉
Laurie Klein says
Yes, lots of research, waiting for permissions, finding new candidates when requests stall out. Upside: discovering more poets!
Ah. You could ask the resident genius . . . 😉
Bethany says
Oh wow, almost like a book-publishing process.
I’m looking forward to the next one. (I’ll let the suspense sizzle. 😉
Laurie Klein says
Smiling to read this, thanks, friend!
Katie Brewster says
Laurie,
I’m with Bethany . . .staying tuned!
Gratefully,
Katie
Laurie Klein says
Katie, so grateful for listeners like you, thank you! You and Bethany remind me of a poet who once said, “wait with expectation” — a transporting phrase I want to focus on today. : )