Heartwork with Dale Biron–Poems For Heart and Soul

Of course, social media includes a daily diet of vitriol and shrillness. And there are perverse structural algorithms that reinforce the fomenting of anger, division, and fear as a way to capture human attention and ultimately make money. And yes, I also know there are deep human intentions to help and serve, evident on every social media platform I've examined.

Who could blame us for wanting to place the tray table of our fears, concerns, and at times despair, in its full upright and locked position? That is to say, we need a break from having our hearts continually shocked, upended, and broken...

A cash crop poem is one that helps and inspires us in so many ways. We go back to them time and time again. But why and how do they work?

Your heart seeks its own reflected images. After reading and speaking at least a million lines of poetry, here are some of my favorite ones, and the poets who wrote them. I think you'll discover that when your heart finds those just right few written lines that speak your feelings, better than you’ve been able to speak them, you'll be smitten. Of course, each one of us has a heart that s...

Could recognizing more fully our relationships and context change everything, particularly when it comes to our ecological meta-crisis? And might an absence of this awareness keep us stuck for a very long while? Stay tuned for the poem-story, 

How deeply ironic that the perspectives, beliefs and stories we now most need to help us heal the earth and avert an even greater catastrophe, were once scorned as bad, primitive, naive and yes... pagan. I beg to differ!

Maybe a better strategic plan is not what we need right now. Maybe we need to get lost on purpose, to break away from the ironclad certainty of "doom" on one end and the "business as usual" denial on the other.  Einstein said we couldn't solve problems at the same level of thinking that created them. And because we know it's true but won't admit it, our modern po...

Our modern culture can no longer resolve the predicaments it's creating. The difficulties and tensions are playing out socially, economically, politically, and especially ecologically. And yet, there are sources of wisdom available to us.  One source is the poetic tradition, which implores us to slow down, honor our intellects, yes, but also honor and reclaim our hearts. Reclaim our ability t...

There are many things we want to change, make different, make better. From personal changes, to massive political and ecological transformations. The first skillful and effective step is ending our battle with reality.

So here is the thing about being human. We are story-based animals. We become ourselves through stories. It’s the narrative pickle juice in which we marinate. We might not have direct effect on the juice of our big old social pickling project. But we can control our own little pickle jar. It’s juice. And if we practice, we can get a little more calm, when triggered. We can grow a little more quiet...

Let's talk about about a different kind of faith. The faith needed for the challenges and predicaments ahead, both personal and collective. A faith not requiring supernatural beliefs. Let's also talk about a kindred type of grounded hope as well.

An amazing poet, who through her art, provides a master class on the traits we need to skillfully face the predicaments and challenges of our wild and fierce modern lives. And one more trait I'll add to the list for Wislawa Szymborską... stunningly wise.

OK, just get comfortable wherever you’re seated. It will help if your back is straight. If you can and it’s comfortable, close your eyes and take a few deep, cleansing breaths to center yourself. Allow your body and mind to relax, releasing as best you can, any tension or stress. Let’s start by simply hearing this brief poem in full. Then we'll pass back through a few selected lines from the...

You will never be alone, you hear so deep / a sound when autumn comes... (One of the most uplifting poems ever.)

How can a poem be both simple and unfathomable at the same time? Truth is, really good poems lift off the page, taking us to those new frontier places in ourselves. Places where words and language perform a kind of magic.

Our current economy is at war with the earth. Here's a story and vision, disguised as a poem to help us stay real, centered, and effective in these opportunity-laden, tragic, and yes, beautiful times. An era when our human agency is deeply required. (This episode is dedicated to the work of Lisi Krall, Professor of Economics at SUNY Cortland.)

ENJOY THIS QUICK POETIC TAKE... Here's a poem describing the greatest challenge most of us will ever face in our closest relationships. Using simple images and delicious metaphors, this poem is hard to forget and cuts right to the heart of the matter.

If you have ever shared your home and life with a critter you loved, this episode is for you. What words might we choose to honor the animal beings that have given us so much happiness and joy? And, of course, grief at their passing. The cat, dog, horse, goat, cow, or creature of your choice that has become  kindred spirits with those of us lucky enough to walk this path alongside them.

What if an established norm in society, a hidebound institution, a way of thinking, or a whole economic system is simply wrong? (For example, the vastly ineffective way we are dealing with our climate and earth overshoot predicament.) Can Art (and poetry in particular) help set it right? Even "nudge" it a little bit forward and toward wholeness.....

In a world where we are besieged by exaggeration, hype, and nearly nonstop puffery, might there be a legitimate, simple and realistic way to tap into greater skillfulness, satisfaction, and yes, happiness?

Forget the flashy courage of heroes. The poet calls courage an act of knowing, speaking, and following the deeper directions of the heart. It is the wisdom of enough. It is the wisdom of no separation. A simple and honest courage, that even we, the flawed, vulnerable, and ordinary ones, may actually be able to render, in this, our rocky, grieving, and beautiful world...

When does a poem become "your" perfect poem?   Most importantly, the poem must be relatable.  It must not be closed-off and insultingly clear.  The poem can make points, but not tip over into propaganda. It must tell a meaningful story using images, metaphors, big language. Perfect poems help us integrate head and heart, re-center, re-member who we are when at our best.

Courage is needed to skillfully face our ecological meta-crisis. But the question is, what kind of courage? The wrong kind will not work, and may actually make things worse. In this episode we feature a poem that provides some wise counsel regarding this issue of courage...

We know what to do in traditional emergencies. But what of the confusion, fear, and often excruciating pain that defines the necessary emergence into a new ecological and planetary era?  What moves will you make and what stories will you tell to help yourself and others stay calm and centered? What relationship and facility will you have with despair? What kinds of truth and fire-tempered hope wil...

In this episode we consider a world where activism has ceased to work, or work in the ways we wish and imagine. So what then? Are we ready? Of course not. Strategic plans may be contraindicated... Poet, Philosopher, Bayo Akomolafe (featured in this episode) describes Postactivism this way. "Postactivism, the concept that informs my notion of making sanctuary, is a matter of irruptions and eru...