Welcome to another episode in the summer series of Poems for the Speed of Life. My name is Shane Breslin and if this is your first time here, two quick things. First, you’re welcome. In the first eight months of this podcast, since Episode 1 back in December 2022, this podcast has had listeners in 85 countries around the world. This is staggering to me. It’s clear that people all over the world find enjoyment, and maybe nourishment, in poetry. Second, if you’d like an introduction for the goal of what this podcast is or tries to be, please find Episode 100 in your podcast player. It’s titled “Why Poems for the Speed of Life?”

While the Monday through Friday regular shows are on a break for July and August, I’ve been putting together a short weekly series of “Three poems on…” from the archives.

This episode is “Three poems on prayer”.

Prayer is a strange thing. Maybe even stranger than poetry.

People all over the world, from all faiths and creeds, have prayed.

These three poems give some insights, I think, into why we do this.

None of the three poems are explicitly religious. The one that comes closest is the poem by Kaveh Akbar, “How Prayer Works”.

There’s a big difference, I believe, between organised religion and what we might call religious experiences. Transcendence is possible for everyone, no matter what religion you were born into, no matter whether you consider yourself devout, or atheist, or agnostic.

These three pieces — one by a Muslim immigrant to the United States, one by a former Catholic Scottish poet who became atheist when she was 15, one by a Hollywood star who has spoken openly about his Christian faith — walk us through the experience and the power of prayer in three completely different ways.

All of these poems were included in previous episodes of this podcast. If you would like to go back you can listen to them, and their own introductions, in Episodes 36, 46 and 141.

Some other links that might of interest: