Poetry Passages

01/19/2026

A timeless classic by Robert Frost, just for fun. Forgive the one mistake in Verse 1: the last line should read "to WATCH his woods", not "to SEE". A wee recitation oopsy.

"Stopping By The Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, from Complete Poems of Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart and Winston; New York; 1964).

Recited by Clifford Rames
Location: High Point, Lake in the Clouds, Canadensis, PA

A timeless classic by Robert Frost, just for fun. Forgive the one mistake in Verse 1: the last line should read "to WATCH his woods", not "to SEE". A wee rec...

01/06/2026

In case you missed it, there’s a new Poetry Passages episode available on Youtube. Starting the new year with Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese”. Hope you enjoy it! Link in bio and story!

01/02/2026

New episode for a new year! Be well!

A poem for the New Year: "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver, from New and Selected Poems, Volume One, by Mary Oliver (Beacon Press; 1992).

12/23/2025

New episode! Three Seasonal Haiku by Clifford Rames. Haiku 1 and Haiku 2 were included on the 2025 Advent Poem Tree, created by Suzy Becker: Twenty five wintry poems quietly celebrating the first 25 days of December. Hand-rolled, hole-punched and assembled with care by Suzy Becker. Edited by Brooke Herter James.

Three Seasonal Haiku by Clifford Rames (© 2025, Clifford Rames). Haiku 1 and Haiku 2 were included on the 2025 Advent Poem Tree, created by Suzy Becker: Twen...

01/06/2025

David Budbill, on this 1/6
https://afirstsip.substack.com/p/the-sixth-of-january-72d?

by David Budbill

01/05/2025

Super stoked by our interview with best selling author/novelist Peter Heller (The Dog Stars, The Painter, Burn), who reveals how Tang Dynasty poetry, as well as poems by WS Merwin, ee Cummings, WB Yeats, Robinson Jeffers, Wallace Stevens, John Keats, Bashō—and others inform and influence his fiction writing. Enjoy! ☺️🙏🏼🐬

Best selling and award winning author/novelist Peter Heller joins Clifford Rames on Poetry Passages for a wonderful discussion about Tang Dynasty poetry and ...

11/12/2024

NEW EPISODE: "I Have No Idea Why This Is Just to Say" by Jack Ridl, from Jack's wonderful new collection, ALL AT ONCE (CavanKerry Press, 2024).

A reading of "I Have No Idea Why This Is Just to Say" by Jack Ridl, from the collection, ALL AT ONCE (CavanKerry Press, 2024).

10/13/2024

New episode! Love this poem by Robert Frost and how it kinda captures that particular "autumn" feeling: "Acceptance". 🍁🍂🦉

A reading of "Acceptance" by Robert Frost, from the Complete Poems of Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967).

08/27/2024

New Poetry Passages episode! A lovely late summer poem by Noble Prize winner Louise Glück, called “Matins”. (I’m not sure I pronounced her last name correctly, as online I found a few different ways of saying it. I chose the one from an interview she did where several times it was pronounced “Glick”, but I admit it could also be “Glook”. Anyone know for sure? 😅

This is "Matins" by Louise Glück, from THE WILD IRIS (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 1992). Note: There are a total of SEVEN poems entitled "...

08/26/2024

New episode of Poetry Passages is up on Youtube! 👇Don’t miss this timeless poem by James Wright: “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota”.

A short and sweet poem of reflection by the great James Wright (1927-1980): "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota", from ABOV...

05/25/2024

A new episode of Poetry Passages is now up on Youtube. Such a pleasure to be transported back to my childhood via this wonderful poem by the great George Bilgere: “Nine”, from the new chapbook, Cheap Motels of My Youth. Enjoy! ☺️🚲🥤🙏🏼

From latest chapbook by George Bilgere, "Cheap Motels of My Youth" (Rattle Magazine, 2024), this is "Nine", the first poem in the collection.Read by Clifford...

05/04/2024

A new haiku. The death of animals/wildlife always saddens me in an intense way. Especially birds. While they seem invincible in the treetops and soaring on the wind, they are really very fragile beings. And there seems to be less of them each year, who knows why. When I see one dead on the ground, it’s as if the sky itself has fallen. Since holding this poor little catbird in my hand, a number of haiku have come to me. This one is close to my 💔.