Category: Podcast
-
These are the days between Christmas and New Year, when celebration has faded, time slows, and the future has not yet begun. In this episode of Musical Poetry, we present “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy. Written at the very end of 1900 and first published in 1901, the poem stands at the threshold between…
-
The bells of war are sounding louder again and yet, have they ever really stopped? In this episode of Musical Poetry, we present Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, one of the most powerful anti-war poems ever written. Owen wrote this poem during the First World War, after witnessing combat at close range. Before…
-
Immerse yourself in the quiet beauty of Christmas with this special episode of Musical Poetry. Today’s reading features Christina Rossetti’s beloved poem “A Christmas Carol” — better known by its opening line, “In the bleak midwinter.” Through tender words and timeless imagery, Rossetti captures the holiness of a winter night, the humility of the manger,…
-
In this festive edition of Musical Poetry, Michael invites the ever-charming Opa Cohen to open and close the episode with his warm, storytelling voice. Together, they bring to life one of the most beloved Christmas poems of all time: “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore.Set against gentle jazz tones and supported by…
-
Today’s poem is “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold — a timeless piece from 1867 that speaks with quiet power about a world losing its sense of unity. Arnold, a poet and cultural critic of the Victorian era, captured the feeling of a society drifting apart long before our modern age gave it new forms. His…
-
In this episode of Musical Poetry, we explore one of Shakespeare’s most intimate and contemplative works: Sonnet 73. Through images of fading autumn leaves, dying daylight, and a fire resting on its own ashes, the sonnet reflects on time, aging, and the deepening strength of love in the face of impermanence. Join me as we…
-
In this episode of Musical Poetry, we travel back to 14th-century England and step into the world of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of the greatest journeys ever written in the English language. The episode begins with a brief reflection on the Prologue, a living tapestry of medieval society, where knights, friars, merchants, and storytellers…
-
This poem is a call for unity in a world divided by pride, labels, and self-interest. It reminds us that all our problems — from war to hunger to environmental collapse — share one root: our separation from one another. Through vivid imagery and honest reflection, “People of the World, Unite” invites us to remember…
-
Welcome to Musical Poetry,where timeless words still breathe and whisper across the years. Autumn keeps me going — and so, we already have a new episode. But today is something new.We’re not presenting a poem born from our own creative power —today, we turn to a classic. One of the most beloved in the English…
-
A leaf speaks — from its birth in spring to its fiery farewell in autumn. Carried by the wind, it journeys far beyond the tree that once held it, discovering beauty in release and freedom in letting go. “I was the highest leaf” — a piece of musical poetry by Michael Appelt. I was the…
Michael Appelt 