Reclaiming lost voices -

In this episode, we explore a poem that weaves Greek mythology with the forgotten history of Chinese silk-making. "Persephone's Testimony" transforms the underworld myth into a meditation on cultural appropriation and lost languages.

The poem traces how the materials of creation—silk, paper, ink—were once "ours" before being claimed and renamed. Through Persephone's voice, the poet asks: what must we let wither to reclaim our authentic voice? How do we spin new language from stolen heritage?

Join us as we unpack the revolutionary act of learning to name ourselves.

Host Tamarah Rockwood takes listeners on an intimate journey through four powerful poems from "POETICS: water - life & death." This episode explores the profound connections between water, spirituality, and human experience through Greg Jensen's "Holy Water," Eve Epstein's "I left anyway," Dianne Knox's "He knew water," and Ruth K. Hunt's "Prayer, After Her Death." Join us as we dive deep into how these poets use water as both literal and metaphorical force—examining themes of ritual, departure, knowledge, and grief, revealing water's role in marking life's most significant transitions and sacred moments.

Exploring Identity Through Poetry

In this episode, we explore the lasting impact of adolescent othering through "Native," a powerful poem set in Antilles High School, Puerto Rico. We examine how a casual classroom moment—a teacher's joke about "restless natives"—reverberates through decades, shaping the speaker's understanding of identity and belonging.

The poem captures that vulnerable teenage space where the desperate desire to fit in masks deeper wounds. We follow the speaker's journey from confused laughter to painful realization: she was the "native" being mocked, marked as other by her island blood, skin, and unruly hair.

Yet the poem's power lies in its transformation. Through the authority and beauty of poetry itself, the speaker reclaims the very label that once stung, reimagining what it means to be "native." She becomes native not to a place that rejected her, but to possibility—to a future where voices like hers are celebrated, not silenced.

Join us as we explore how poetry transforms disturbing adolescent experiences into profound self-discovery, turning wounds into wisdom and finding strength through the beauty of reclaimed identity.

Let’s explore the contentious literary world of postmodernist poetry.

Shall we?

The Sentient Flock, In Simpler and Sexier Times is a single poem in 26 sections; each section is a single sentence. It was created using ad hoc semi-collage techniques, picking up words and phrases from John Ashbery, home decorating magazines, philosophical tomes, black metal songs, fundraising pleas, or whatever thoughts drifted across my brainpan.

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In The Dance of the Emu, Paul Engel transforms the American pastoral landscape into a realm of living mythology, where Summer awakens as a barefoot goddess on beds of clover, Winter adorns herself in diamond moonlight, and a solitary buck navigates desire and solitude under a half-moon's glow. These luminous poems move seamlessly from intimate Sunday fishing holes to cosmic mythologies, from hay field windrows to mysterious shores where an ancient emu performs its endless dance. Engel's accessible yet enchanting voice captures both the comfort of lazy afternoons and the wild magic pulsing beneath everyday moments, creating a collection that offers refuge for anyone seeking deeper connection with nature's rhythms. Perfect for readers who love Mary Oliver's mysticism and Robert Frost's wisdom, this is poetry that transforms the familiar into the magical—proof that the most ordinary moments shimmer with extraordinary meaning when viewed through a poet's careful eye.

The poem depicts a train ride home after a Swan Lake performance, where young ballet students in costume process their emotional response to the tragic ending. The speaker observes a crying child-dancer questioning why the Prince didn't choose the White Swan, while her pragmatic mother expresses frustration at the unexpected tears and expensive outing. The poem explores themes of innocence, disillusionment, and the cyclical nature of romantic disappointment.

The epic poem,"Don Orfeo," by Ron Searls, opens with a sweeping geological and historical preface that establishes the ancient foundation of Florida before introducing us to Don Orfeo, a Spanish soldier exiled to St. Augustine in 1684. Carrying only his ten-stringed guitar, he meets Isabella, a young indigenous woman conscripted to work on the fort's construction. Their love story unfolds through music - his Spanish guitar and her native flute creating harmonious duets that bridge their cultural divide. They marry and build a life together until the narrative takes an ominous turn when Isabella encounters threatening tattooed Indians while gathering herbs, setting up what promises to be the tragic turn typical of the Orpheus myth.

"Perfectionism" is a powerful, compact poem that explores the paradoxical trap of control and rigidity. Through stark imagery and a steadily narrowing structure, it reveals how the pursuit of flawless order ultimately creates fragility, culminating in an inevitable, transformative shattering.

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The poem traces the journey of perfectionism from the initial desire for control to its devastating conclusion. It begins by identifying the fundamental problem of needing control, then shows how this creates a progressively constricting world. The pivotal moment comes with the assured declaration that "life will break you," followed by the revelation that the protective armor of perfectionism doesn't simply crack but shatters into "one million tiny shards of mirror" - fragments that reflect back the broken self.