Recent Episodes
Feb. 1, 2026
"A Poison Tree" by William Blake
I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I watered it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft ...
Jan. 25, 2026
"At Midnight" by Frank Dempster Sherman
See, yonder, the belfry tower That gleams in the moon’s pale light; Or is it a ghostly flower That dreams in the silent night? I listen and hear the chime Go quavering o’er the town, And out of this flower of Time Twelve peta...
Jan. 18, 2026
"A Cowboy's Prayer" by Badger Clark
Oh Lord, I've never lived where churches grow. I love creation better as it stood That day You finished it so long ago And looked upon Your work and called it good. I know that others find You in the light That's sifted down ...
Jan. 11, 2026
"Quatrain" by Gwendolyn Bennett
How strange that grass should sing— Grass is so still a thing . . . And strange the swift surprise of snow So soft it falls and slow.
Jan. 4, 2026
"All the World's a Stage" by William Shakespeare
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts...
Dec. 28, 2025
"Song" by Christina Rossetti
When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget.
Recent Blog Posts
Feb. 1, 2026
The Harvest of Wrath: William Blake’s "A Poison Tree"
William Blake, a visionary artist and poet of the Romantic era, often used his work to explore the "two contrary states of the human soul." His poem "A Poison Tree," first published in 1794 in the landmark collection Songs of Experience, serves as a…
Jan. 25, 2026
The Flower of Time: Frank Dempster Sherman’s "At Midnight"
Frank Dempster Sherman was a master of the "lyric" form—short, musical poems that capture a singular emotion or image with crystalline clarity. His poem "At Midnight," first published in 1890 in his collection Lyrics for a Lute, is a perfect e…
Jan. 18, 2026
Starlight on the Plains: The Rugged Faith of Badger Clark’s "A Cowboy…
Badger Clark, the first Poet Laureate of South Dakota, captured the spirit of the American West with a voice that was both rugged and deeply reverent. His poem "A Cowboy's Prayer," first published in 1906, remains one of the most beloved pieces of "…