A GOD WHO DARED TO RESIST. This episode of the Podcast of Poems discusses a poem that smuggled a hidden message into state media, in a time where martial law was implemented and playing with words is a gamble that might cost a person his life.
Words speak truth to power, and in the face of obscurity, and the different faces of rhetoric, a poet is compelled to call out and fight back the forces of tyranny and inhumanity, and ultimately, expose the truth. In this series I have selected poems that have raised consciousness and united people to design bravery in the midst of oppression, fear, doubt, and uncertainty. Welcome to the Podcast of Poems S2!
DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE? Writing after the devastation from World War 1, T.S. Eliot explores questions on individuality, disillusionment, safety, alienation, and connecting with another person in this difficult but worthwhile poem about the human condition.
TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND, AND NOT TO YIELD. Ulysses helps us understand the desire for more in this timeless poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
COULD THEMSELF HAVE PEEPED AND SEEN MY BRAIN. In this episode of the Podcast of Poems, one of Emily Dickinson's less popular, but quite important poems, They Shut Me Up In Prose, is read and discussed. Thanks to Elzyna Alvarico (IG:@zynaalv) for the read and to Janelle Patrimonio (IG:@morbidxoxojane) for sharing her thoughts in this episode.
PHENOMENAL WOMAN, that's whoever woman is reading this description. In this episode of the Podcast of Poems, we stray from societal norms as we discuss and empower women in Maya Angelou's poem, Phenomenal Woman. Thanks to Val Sapanta (IG: @valarianagrande) for recommending the poem, to Adrian Secjadas (IG:@rhian_desu) for sharing her thoughts, and to Melissa Habon (IG: @melissahabon) for giving the poem a phenomenal read. Also, feel free to give comments and suggestions to make our podcast more interesting. Email me through johnglennkitn@gmail.com or send a dm here: Instagram @leglenndaryy or Twitter @TheGlennMeister
ONE THING YOU CAN'T HIDE, IS WHEN YOU'RE CRIPPLED INSIDE. - John Lennon. In this episode of the Podcast of Poems, we discuss hypocrisy and double standards in one of my favorite poems from one of my favorite poets, Charles Bukowski's The Genius of the Crowd. (Thank you so much to our guest, Adie [IG: @adiereadstoo], fellow Bukowski enthusiast for sharing her thoughts in this episode.)
I SCORN TO CHANGE MY STATE WITH KINGS. This episode of the Podcast of Poems talks about William Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 in the Fair Youth Sequence.
STRIVE TO BE HAPPY. In this episode of the Podcast of Poems, Max Ehrmann's proverbial commentary on life, Desiderata, is read and discussed.
I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL. This episode discusses W. E. Henley's Invictus, analyzes its stanzas, its underlying themes, and also: a guest to share an experience related to this poem of great humanistic value. (Disclaimer: I live in a city in the Philippines where people love chicken so much they raise them as pets in their backyards as part of their highly-extended family structure, so if you can hear them crowing, it's most likely because we were stupid enough to record this in the morning.) 🥺👉👈 Also, people here love chicken wings, just saying.