The Poetry Fix

Today, Erika Kyba reads an excerpt from Percy Shelley's Ode to the West Wind, which celebrates the destructive spirit of the West Wind as a harbinger of renewal.

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Donne's Holy Sonnet IX, in which the poet wrestles with the themes of sin, guilt, and forgiveness.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Love (III), the conclusion of George Herbert's Love series. This poem portrays the beautiful way in which Love crosses over the boundaries of guilt and sin to reach the human soul.

Today, Erika Kyba reads an excerpt from George Herbert's The Sacrifice, a beautiful meditation on the Passion.

Today, Erika Kyba reads George Herbert's Love (II), in which the poet turns to correct the problems of disordered love that he raised in Love (I).

Today, Erika Kyba reads George Herbert's Love (I). Join her to unpack his beautiful ode to a forgotten Creator.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Robert W. Service's darkly enthralling "Little Brother." Together, we explore the truth of the poet's bleak vision, as well as looking for avenues of hope.

Today, Erika Kyba reads the conclusion of T. S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men." Eliot continues to paint a picture of the dark, deathly kingdom that the hollow men find themselves in, entrenched in the shadow of World War I.

Today, we explore "Beggar to Beggar Cried," by the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats. This is a poem about the desire for peace and security, juxtaposed with a restlessness of spirit.

Today, I am joined by Alexandra Comus to read an excerpt from "The Hollow Men," by T. S. Eliot. This is a poem that warns about the consequences of living without meaning, as the shadow of death continually hangs over the world.

Today, we continue exploring Milton's "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity." In this excerpt, we see that the joy of the Nativity sparks a longing and a hope for an Edenic golden age. However, the poet reminds us that all things must be harrowed before they can be remade.

Today, we continue exploring Milton's "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity." In this excerpt, we witness Creation move from hushed awe to jubilant songs of praise.

Today, we continue exploring Milton's "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity." In this excerpt, Milton meditates on the cosmic awe that the Christ child's surpassing power inspires.

Today, we explore Milton's "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," which ponders the cosmic effects of Christ's coming into the world.

Today, we explore Hopkins's "The Windhover," a meditation on the flight of a kestrel. Hopkins opens our eyes to the wonder of a natural world that is richly layered with meaning.

"Creed" is a concept that's often neglected in our day and age, as many nonreligious thinkers consider the idea of creed archaic or limiting. However, everyone has one; your creed is the set of principles that governs your life, whether you recognize it or not. Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us" indicts his generation's creed of materialism, which drives them to pursue gain and forget th...

This final installment of Guigemar that we will read portrays Guigemar and his lady as they finally come to terms with their love for one another, and as Guigemar is sped on to declare his love for her.

In this installment of Guigemar, the incandescent, fierce flame of desire begins to consume Guigemar and his lady.

This installment of Guigemar portrays the lady's reply to the wounded knight and illuminates aspects of her character, such as her hospitality and virtue. However, the lady is not without her discontents, as she reveals to Guigemar.

This installment of Guigemar portrays the first encounter between Guigemar and the imprisoned young lady. The poet brings some interesting elements to the forefront in their encounter, including the focus on his heartbeat and his dependence on the lady's hospitality.

This installment of Guigemar introduces some important new characters into the story. Most important of these is a young lady, imprisoned by her jealous and much older husband. A portrait of Venus hanging in the young lady's chamber contains some clues as to what the poet intends to do with her character.

This installment of Guigemar takes our protagonist to a magical ship that sets sail without any prompting of his. Guigemar falls fast asleep in a room that bears strong associations to King Solomon and is likely meant to evoke the Song of Songs. This may or may not foreshadow what Guigemar will find upon waking up.

This installment of Guigemar portrays our protagonist's fateful hunt of a white hind with a stag's antlers. Considering the supernatural legends associated with the white stag, you might think that Guigemar would take heed of the creature. The question is...will he?

Today, we read an opening excerpt from Marie de France's Guigemar, a medieval tale of curses, courtly intrigue, and forbidden love. We examine the poet's characterization of the knight, Guigemar, and how his lack of tenderness foreshadows the dramatic events to follow.

Today, we finish out "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," watching the final analysis of our narrator's life play out.  The narrator asks himself a seemingly bizarre yet poignant question: Do I dare to eat a peach? The way we choose to answer that question for ourselves might be more impactful than you would think at first glance.