• 4 minutes 34 seconds
    Randall Jarrell's "Well Water"

    Today is the birthday of poet Randall Jarrell, and today’s poem does what birthdays themselves can sometimes do: remind us of the simple glories of every-day existence. Happy reading.



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    6 May 2026, 6:06 pm
  • 5 minutes 30 seconds
    R. S. Thomas' "This"

    Today’s poem uses the clever manipulation of a symbol to tease out the heart of male communication. Happy reading.



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    4 May 2026, 4:34 pm
  • 5 minutes 46 seconds
    Ogden Nash's "Taboo to Boot"

    Today’s poem is guaranteed to make you itch. Happy reading.



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    1 May 2026, 9:02 pm
  • 3 minutes 29 seconds
    Robert Burns' "John Barleycorn"

    Today’s poem is about the necessary death and resurrection of the titular figure. Happy reading.



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    29 April 2026, 3:11 pm
  • 5 minutes 9 seconds
    A. R. Ammons' "Poetics"

    Today’s poem is about the attention needed to find…a poem. Happy reading.



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    27 April 2026, 4:55 pm
  • 4 minutes 54 seconds
    from Malcolm Guite's "Galahad and the Grail"

    Today’s poem, singing of the first trial of Sir Galahad, is an excerpt from Malcolm Guite’s Arthurian ballad, Galahad and the Grail. Happy reading.Galahad and the Grail is available from all booksellers, or in special editions direct from the publisher.



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    24 April 2026, 6:44 pm
  • 5 minutes 24 seconds
    Norman Maccaig's "Interruption to a Journey"

    Today’s poem captures the stab and indelible imprint of unintended destruction. Happy reading.



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    22 April 2026, 4:05 pm
  • 4 minutes 16 seconds
    James Joyce's "On the Beach at Fontana"

    Today’s poem is from an author seldom associated with poetry today, though in his lifetime his verse garnered considerable recognition. Happy reading.



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    20 April 2026, 4:06 pm
  • 4 minutes 23 seconds
    Edward Rowland Sill's "The Fool's Prayer"

    Today’s poem presents two kinds of fools–those who know they need mercy, and those who don’t. Happy reading.



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    17 April 2026, 3:43 pm
  • 3 minutes 21 seconds
    Ellis Parker Butler's "The Final Tax"

    Today’s poem is very much on-brand for Butler, whose best-known short story, “Pigs is Pigs,” concerns “a bureaucratic stationmaster who insists on levying the livestock rate for a shipment of two pet guinea pigs.” Happy reading.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
    15 April 2026, 2:32 pm
  • 4 minutes 3 seconds
    R. S. Thomas' "The Bright Field"

    In today’s poem the speaker has seen the light. Happy reading.



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
    13 April 2026, 10:09 pm
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