Poems to God are prayer. And if there are no prayers nowadays…it is not because we don’t have anything to say to God, nor because we have no one to say this anything to—there is something and there is someone—but because we haven’t the conscience to praise and pray God in the same language we’ve used for centuries to praise and pray absolutely everything. In our age, to have the courage for direct speech to God (for prayer) we must either not know what poems are, or forget. - Marina Tsvetaeva (Art in the Light of Conscience)
What is Prayer Pod?
Prayer Pod takes you through a brief, guided time of prayer and meditation using poetry and the movement of music as guides. Each episode features original compositions and poems from a variety of poets (some read by the poets themselves).
We started prayer pod during the pandemic when we couldn’t see each other and we needed SOMETHING to carry us through. There are hopes for more episodes but we’ll see what the future brings.
Where to Find It
Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Podbean
Episodes
In-between Seasons
Poems: Veni Creator by Czeslaw Milosz and The Summer Day by Mary Oliver
Music: Tim Kim
Season 1
Ep. 10 - A Common Destiny
Poems: For the Anniversary of My Death by W.S. Merwin, Selection from Ecclesiastes 9
Music: Tim Kim
*Headphones recommended
Ep. 9 - Thanks
Poem: Thanks by W. S. Merwin
Music: Tim Kim
*Headphones recommended
Ep. 8 - Time
Poem: Hymn to Time by Ursula K. Le Guin
Music: Tim Kim
*Headphones recommended
Ursula K. Le Guin was an award winning writer of science fiction and poetry. She lived a remarkable life, and you can learn about her here or all over the internet.
Ep. 7 - There Are Days We Live
Poem: From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee
Music: Tim Kim
Li-Young Lee is an award winning poet and the author of such collections as The City in Which I Love You and The Winged Seed: A Remembrance. For more about his life and work, check out the Poetry Foundation.
Ep. 6 - A Refrain
Poem: Thank You Jesus by Teri Ellen Cross Davis
Music: Tim Kim & Jonathan Neidorf
Find more of Teri’s work at www.poetsandparents.com. Twitter: @cross_davis
Ep. 5 - Fear
Poem: What I Carried by Maggie Smith
Music: Patrick Derdall
"What I Carried" from Good Bones, Tupelo Press, copyright 2017 Maggie Smith. Used with permission.
Maggie Smith is the author of four books, most recently Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017) and the forthcoming Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change (One Signal/Simon & Schuster, 2020). Her poems and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Tin House, Poetry, The Believer, The New Yorker, the Washington Post, and the Paris Review. A freelance writer and editor, Smith is on the poetry faculty of Spalding University’s MFA program and serves as an Editor at Large for the Kenyon Review.
Ep. 4 - Bread
Poem: Bread by Richard Levine
Music: Tim Kim
Find more of Richard Levine's work on his website.
Ep. 3 - Apocalypse
Poem: The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi
Music: Tim Kim
Franny Choi audio used with permission from the Poetry Foundation.
Ep. 2 - Lament & Confession
Poem: Untitled by James Baldwin, A Memory by Saeed Jones
Music: Tim Kim
*Headphones always recommended but this episode in particular will sound weird without them.
Ep. 1 - Elegy
Poem: Elegy by Aracelis Girmay
Music: Tim Kim
Contributors
Writers: Virginia White | Tim Kim
Musicians: Tim Kim | Patrick Derdall | Jonathan Neidorf
Logistics Coordinator: Celeste Kennel-Shank
Producer: Tim Kim
Question/Comments/Submissions?
Hit us up at info@rootandbranchchurch.org
