I read two poems by Mary Oliver this week titled - "Mysteries, Yes" and "Percy (Nine)". I have been away for a couple of months and in this time I have been slow reading the volume Devotions - Selected poems by Mary Oliver. Her poems have a way of slipping into your day without attracting any attention, have a way of being on your mind without you explicitly recalling any of the words. Her poems truly are a mood, one that I have been consciously slipping into these busy days in the last two months. So much so that I hope to read at least a few more of her poems from this exceptional volume in the upcoming episodes. Stay tuned :)  I read the poems from the physical copy of Devotions that I have with me. The poem "Mysteries, Yes" is from her book Evidence, and "Percy (Nine)" is from Dog Songs.  The host, Ravneet Bawa as - @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter    Email: [email protected]  Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read two poems by Nissim Ezekiel this week titled - "Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T. S." and "Jewish Wedding in Bombay". Nissim is an iconic Indian poet, most active in the decades right after India's Independence. I find his poems delightful, raw postcards from a time in Bombay that I haven't seen and know little of. In his work, he often used 'Indian English', a term that raises as many heckles as it amuses. I am in the amused camp. Please listen :) I read the poems from the All Poetry website -  https://allpoetry.com/Jewish-Wedding-in-Bombay https://allpoetry.com/poem/14330576-Goodbye-Party-For-Miss-Pushpa-T.S.-by-Nissim-Ezekiel The host, Ravneet Bawa as - @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter    Email: [email protected]  Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read a poem by Billy Collins this week titled - "Advice to Writers". It's a short and clear poem that lays out a day in the life of a writer and how he creates the space outside and within to invite inspiration. One that you can use no matter what profession you are in. The poem is a reminder of how you can create a day free of distractions yet not alienating for inspiration to get your day's work done. I read the poem from The Alipore Post newsletter - https://thealiporepost.substack.com/p/135-on-living-alone  The host, Ravneet Bawa as - @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read my own poems this week. Most of these are lockdown meditations from last year and this. Perhaps you won't find them entirely disappointing. Listen in! :) Hopeful is available on my blog here Some of my other published work is linked from this link.tree page. The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read two poems this week by Mary Oliver. She is the one poet who always finds the right words to articulate the moment. In this episode I read - "Every Morning" which contextualises death and how we become used to it. The second poem is "The Real Prayers Are Not The Words But The Attention That Comes First". Listen in!    I discovered Every Morning on this link first- https://www.instagram.com/p/CNusJjcB3yh/ However sharing another link here from The Poetry Foundation for both poems: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=42419 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=36384 The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read "Keeping Things Whole" by Mark Strand. This poem is one of my absolute favourites, the sort you scribble on a piece of paper and keep in your purse. A reminder that we all fragment, that we all also cause others to fragment, and then we moe. We move, we heal. Listen in!   The poem I read is from: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47541/keeping-things-whole The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

I read "The female of the species" by Gauri Deshpande. Last episode we read about flying penises that don't quite fly. This episode is an epic Indian confessional poet writing about the daily experience of being a woman and finding comfort in mundane domesticity with a community of other women.  Listen in!  The poem I read is from: http://daak.co.in/passionate-warriors-weary-wars-gauri-deshpandes-confessional-poetry/  The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

Or when it doesn't? In this episode, I read "Lorena" by Lucille Clifton. Short, wicked poem that is fun just as it is but that is important if you really look. Saying anything more is to give away the poem. Listen in!  The poem I read is from: https://www.theparisreview.org/poetry/1598/lorena-lucille-clifton The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or from books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

In this episode, I read "$$$$$$" by Charles Bukowski. It's a lyrical poem, rather fun if you don’t take it seriously. But I urge you to take it seriously. To listen to it once for the poem itself, and then another one for the voice of the poet, for what he is really saying. Listen in! The poem I read is part of the anthology - Love is a dog from hell. Profile: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/charles-bukowski S1E9: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fmYFIScp34NdY1MoQeT65?si=baee3d43c80948da The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or copies of books I possess. The commentary is all my own.

In this episode, I read "Fine" by Kim Addonizio. It's a short poem and complements the poem Peers that I read in Episode 1 really well. Peers was about looking back at time, this one is set in the present and an incisive look at the present at that. It may feel morbid but listen to the alternative interpretations I present. Listen in! The poem I read can be accessed here - https://poetry.lib.uidaho.edu/category/kim-addonizio/ The host, Ravneet Bawa as -   @two_thirds_beneath on Instagram   @maikeya on Twitter   Email: [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is created for sharing with friends and family, and only as a passion project amidst the Covid lockdown with no commercial interest. In all episodes I read from sources on the public internet or copies of books I possess. The commentary is all my own.