The Poetry Fix

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Milton's "On Time." This is a poem that echoes the themes John Donne's "Holy Sonnet X," asserting the triumph of believers over death and temporal decay.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Victor Hugo's "Demain dès l'aube," a poem about a man who has delayed facing his grief for far too long.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Walt Whitman's "America," a distillation of the patriotic spirit that infuses much of Whitman's poetic corpus.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Tennyson's "Break, Break, Break," an intimate portrait of loss and grief. The poem conveys the deadening effect of great sorrow, as the poet observes life going on for others while remaining paralyzed by tragedy.

Today, Erika Kyba reads the eerie conclusion of Robert W. Service's "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill," and proposes some possible interpretations to its mysterious ending.

Today, Erika Kyba reads an excerpt from Robert W. Service's "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill," a poet's take on the Grateful Dead archetype.

Today, Erika Kyba reads T. S. Eliot's "Aunt Helen," a dark meditation on the futility of earthly affairs, and the danger of leaving behind an empty legacy.

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Donne's glorious vaunt against death itself: Holy Sonnet X.

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Milton's "At a Solemn Music," which subtly engages with Puritan arguments portraying music as evil. Instead, Milton extols song as something that has the power to sanctify.

Today, Erika Kyba reads W. B. Yeats's "Down by the Salley Gardens," a wistful meditation on lost love and innocence.

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Donne's "The Good-Morrow," which meditates on the unity of lovers, as well as the virtues needed for romantic love to endure.

Today, Erika Kyba reads Salvador Espriu's "An Inner Happiness is Absolutely of my World," a self-reflective meditation on poetry as a door to the soul of the poet.

Today, Erika Kyba reads John Donne's Holy Sonnet XII, which offers a frame for looking at nature with new eyes.

Today, Erika Kyba reads the conclusion of Percy Shelley's Ode to the West Wind. We see the poet recognize his mortality and surrender himself and his work to the autumnal spirit. However, he hopes that the wind's destruction will ultimately bring renewal.

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.