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 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.