Charles Bukowski - Bluebird Written: Bluebird was written in the 1990s, published as part of Bukowski’s 1992 poetry collection The Last Night of the Earth Poems. This was one of the last collections Bukowski released before his death in 1994. The poem reflects a more contemplative side of Bukowski’s work as he faced the later years of his life, exploring themes of mortality, introspection, and the complexities of human emotion. Theme: The theme of Bluebird by Charles Bukow...

Derek Walcott - Love After Love Theme:The theme of "Love After Love" by Derek Walcott is self-rediscovery and self-love after a period of loss or heartbreak. The poem is a gentle and reassuring meditation on the importance of reconnecting with oneself, emphasizing the need for self-acceptance and the idea that true love for oneself can be found within. Walcott writes about a future moment when you will meet "yourself arriving at your own door," symbolizing a reunion with the parts of you...

A simple poem of a chilly April evening when wonder passed by. Enjoy! Support the show

David M. Romano - When/If Tomorrow Starts Without Me Theme: David Romano's poignant poem, "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me," encapsulates the theme of coping with loss and finding solace in the belief of an afterlife. Through its heartfelt verses, the poem urges us to cherish life's fleeting moments and to appreciate the loved ones who enrich our journey. It reminds us to live with integrity and to embrace each day with love and gratitude, for tomorrow is never promised. As we navigate...

A heartfelt Sunday morning poem emerged from the depths of my being, inspired by the lessons I've gleaned and the challenges I've faced. Its purpose is to rekindle the flickering flame within, to celebrate the boundless love and genuine essence of life's grace. I offer this intimate poem with the hope that it resonates with your spirit, illuminating your path and filling your heart with inspiration and profound grace. In the tapestry of existence, it is not solely about the interplay between ...

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi - Because I Cannot Sleep Written: cca. 1207-1273 Poem: Because I cannot sleepI make music at night.I am troubled by the onewhose face has the color of spring flowers.I have neither sleep nor patience,neither a good reputation nor disgrace.A thousand robes of wisdom are gone.All my good manners have moved a thousand miles away.The heart and the mind are left angry with each other.The stars and the moon are envious of each other.Because of this alien...

Berton Braley - Opportunity Written: circa 1917 Theme: No matter where you live, or where you have been born whether that is into a wealthy family or to dirt poor parents, opportunities are available. The sad truth is that those who believe what their family roots did or did not give them have little to nothing to do with what lies ahead. Many of you have heard about the "cycle of poverty" but that cycle can be broken. How? The real opportunity lies within. That's right. The genuine po...

W.S. Merwin - Thanks Published: 2005 in Migration: New and Selected Poems Theme & Story: Reads as an expression of gratitude for the bounty of his life. Merwin voices his thanks in an effusive manner that stays consistent whether bowing from bridges, addressing the water or remembering wars. It begins with the simple word “Listen” and goes on to describe a variety of beautiful moments: with the night falling we are saying thank youwe are stopping on the bridges to bow from the...

Dragos Radu - Do Not Close Your Eyes Written: 27th December 2022, Bucharest Theme & Story: This poem was inspired by a sentiment of longing and emptiness for one person in my life whom I got to know for only the first 6 years of my life, my grandfather. Since I was a child, I have been looking up to him; he was a pilot, so, at that time, I desired to become one too. Thanks to him, I know how to play chess and ride a bike. When I was 5 years old, and he was teaching me chess, I used...

Sara Teasdale - A Winter Bluejay Written/Published: 1915 in Rivers to the Sea Theme: The poem begins by placing the couple in a snow-covered landscape, walking through the “whisper[ing]” snow, enjoying a quiet moment. Their shadows are “danc[ing]” behind them, creating a beautiful pattern of light. It is clear that this moment is not one that comes often. They continue on their walk and come upon skaters on a frozen lake who gracefully, without fault, weave around one another. Th...

Anonymous St Swithun's Parishioner - The Messiah Source: It was published in a parish newsletter of St Swithun's church. Story: Most of us are familiar with the words and music of the great Oratorio but Bill Jones of Golcar, a little village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, had never been to a performance and he tried to persuade a friend to go with him to the Huddersfield Town Hall to hear the famous Choral Society, but his friend refused. “Nay” he said “that sort ‘o music’s now...

Lord Byron - Childe Harold's Pilgrimage [There is a pleasure in the pathless woods] Written/Published: 3rd March 1812 Theme: In these lines of ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,’ the poet engages with themes of change, the sea, and power. The latter is used to reference the power of the sea as well as humankind’s lack of power in the face of the indomitable ocean. It has raged the same since the dawn of creation, and no human force can control or tame it. This is something that brings the sp...

Mark Strand - Lines For Winter Written/Published: 1979, Selected Poems Theme: "The echo of “as it gets cold” implies the language could be seen as appealing to readers for separate stages of understanding, not just the physical “cold” of winter, but also the coldness that comes with loss of emotion and possibly death, or at least accompanying the sober recognition of one’s own mortality. Surely, images of winter or night frequently signal acknowledgement of one’s mortality and the...

Edgar Allan Poe - The City in the Sea Published: 1831 Theme: The poem takes the reader through Death’s city. He rules this place from a throne and towers over it “gigantically”. The city is lit by nothing but the light from the sea. By following its progression a reader can see the towers, palaces, friezes, and spires that fill the city-scape. Towards the end of the poem, a change comes over the usually very still ocean. It starts to move, as does the city itself. The city sinks,...

Lord Byron - All Is Vanity, Saith the Preacher Written/Published in: Hebrew Melodies nr. 21 1815 Theme: Lord Byron’s poem is inspired by the Book of Qohelet. He transfers Qohelet’s feeling of life into a psalm, thereby condensing the Biblical material in his own way. He makes Qohelet, whom he conventionally identifies with King Solomon, look back at the happy times in his life. He interprets the Preacher’s resignation and depression by introducing the serpent from Genesis 3; this aspec...

Robert Frost - The Road Not Taken Published: 1915 Theme: "Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is often interpreted as an anthem of individualism and nonconformity, seemingly encouraging readers to take the road less traveled. This interpretation has long been propagated through countless song lyrics, newspaper columns, and graduation speeches. But as Frost liked to warn his listeners, “You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem—very tricky.” In actuality, the two...

Don McLean - Crossroads (Song) Written/Released: 1971 Album: American Pie Theme & Story: "I think this line is the essence of the pop ballad; the sense of regret, the wish to turn back time, the fear of the road lying ahead. Textually, the song is about a man who returns to a long lost love and begs for salvation. But that’s far too linear interpretation. I read the entire second verse in a far more spiritual way. Hope and salvation lie with anything that will join you on the...

Kabir Das - Songs of Kabir (songs 6 and 9) Written: 1398 - 1518 Published: One Hundred Poems of Kabir 1915 Translated: Rabindranath Tagore Theme: The songs of Kabir by Tagore represent both the philosophies of Hinduism and Sufism. It is a seamless, luminous setting of Kabir 's beloved prayer, offering praise to a holy spirit, universal and personal, both in this world and beyond. (Brainly.in, 2022) Songs: Song 6 I.83 candā jhalkai yahi ghat māhīn The moon shines in my b...

Charles Bukowski - Roll The Dice Written: ca. 1970-1990 Published in: What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire (1999) Theme: “Roll the Dice” by Charles Bukowski is one of the most motivational poems in American History. During the 1950-60s people were headed on the path of being different. Whether that meant listening to different music or growing long hair, each poem is telling the people that if you are going to do something go all the way, or else there is no point in doing ...

Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Published: 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Themes: "Strong themes are present throughout "Caged Bird." Racist oppression, freedom against captivity, and joy versus grief are examples of themes. Through the picture of the two birds, one free and one imprisoned, Angelou weaves together all of these concepts in "Caged Bird." The caged bird is an extended metaphor for the Black community in America and across the world. ...