1 Minute with The Bald-Headed Poet

Latest Episodes:

Ice and Fire - Edmund Spencer Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Ice and Fire by Edmund Spencer

My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
How comes it then that this her cold so great
Is not dissolved through my so hot desire,
But harder grows the more I her entreat?
Or how comes it that my exceeding heat
Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold,
But that I burn much more in boiling sweat,
And feel my flames augmented manifold?
What more miraculous thing may be told,
That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
And ice, which is congeal'd with senseless cold,
Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
That it can alter all the course of kind.

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Poems are green and Poetry is mean.
-Poetry Beast

Please accept my endless gratitude,
I'm tickled pink,
You're a gift!
Thank you for your time and attention.
It's a blessing you've stopped to observe and listen.
ADDITIONAL INFO: @thebaldheadedpoet | Linktree

Independent Dream - Dan Higgins (Fourth of July, Acrostic Poem) Jul 03, 2026

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Independent Dream by Dan Higgins

In the face of oppression, an idea was born
Never again to tyranny, we’d be sworn
Determined to create a place free of scorn
Every Fourth of July, a new hope is reborn
Pursuing happiness, no longer forlorn
Each firework fired, a salute to the morn’
Nation of dreamers, by independence adorned
Dreaming of a future, by freedom’s hand drawn
Enjoying the fruits of a struggle hard-won
New dawn of liberty, under the sun
Together we stand, united as one

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Midnight - Louise Gluck Jul 03, 2026

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Midnight by Louise Gluck

Speak to me, aching heart: what
Ridiculous errand are you inventing for yourself
Weeping in the dark garage
With your sack of garbage: it is not your job
To take out the garbage, it is your job
To empty the dishwasher. You are showing off
Again,
Exactly as you did in childhood--where
Is your sporting side, your famous
Ironic detachment? A little moonlight hits
The broken window, a little summer moonlight,
Tender
Murmurs from the earth with its ready
Sweetnesses--
Is this the way you communicate
With your husband, not answering
When he calls, or is this the way the heart
Behaves when it grieves: it wants to be
Alone with the garbage? If I were you,
I'd think ahead. After fifteen years,
His voice could be getting tired; some night
If you don't answer, someone else will answer.

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Choices - Nikki Giovanni Jun 26, 2026

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Choices by Nikki Giovanni

If i can't do what i want to do
then my job is to not do what i don't want to do
It's not the same thing
but it's the best i can do

If i can't have what i want... then
my job is to want what i've got
and be satisfied that at least there
is something more to want

Since i can't go where i need to go...

then i must... go where the signs point
though always understanding parallel movement isn't lateral

When i can't express what i really feel

i practice feeling what i can express
and none of it is equal I know
but that's why mankind alone among the animals
learns to cry

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Juneteenth Message and Poetry Festival Announcement Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Juneteenth is an annual observance on June 19 to remember when Union soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. This day is an opportunity for people to celebrate freedom and equal rights in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Juneteenth Poems:

Caged Bird: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/maya-angelou-caged-bird/id1633899855?i=1000595609856

Still I Rise: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-i-rise-maya-angelou/id1633899855?i=1000639991261

Roots - Juneteenth song/poem: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roots-juneteenth-poem-song/id1633899855?i=1000617518838

Join me at the Poetry Festival: https://www.newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com/

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Only a Dad - Edgar Albert Guest (Father's Day Poem) Jun 19, 2026

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Only a Dad by Edgar Albert Guest

Only a dad, with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame,
To show how well he has played the game,
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come, and to hear his voice.

Only a dad, with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more.
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent, whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad, but he gives his all To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing, with courage stern and grim, The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen,
Only a dad, but the best of men.

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You Tell Me - Jewel (singer) Jun 12, 2026

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You Tell Me by Jewel

It cannot be so

you say

simple hands

cannot change

the fate of humanity.

I say

Humanity is

a boundless,

absorbing heart

transcending

death & generations

and centuries

absorbing bullets

and stitches

and tear gas

enduring humiliation

and illegal abortions

and thankless jobs

I say to you

the heart of Humanity

has not

and will not

be broken

And let us raise ourselves

like lanterns

with the millions of others—

with the mad

and the forgotten

and the strong of heart

to shine.

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You And Your Whole Race - Langston Hughes Jun 12, 2026

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You And Your Whole Race by Langston Hughes

You and your whole race.
Look down upon the town in which you live
And be ashamed.
Look down upon white folks
And upon yourselves
And be ashamed
That such supine poverty exists there,
That such stupid ignorance breeds children there
Behind such humble shelters of despair—
That you yourselves have not the sense to care
Nor the manhood to stand up and say
I dare you to come one step nearer, evil world,
With your hands of greed seeking to touch my throat,
I dare you to come one step nearer me:
When you can say that
you will be free!

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Art - Ralph Waldo Emerson Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Dive into the timeless words of Ralph Waldo Emerson as we explore his profound poem “Art”. In this episode, we unravel Emerson’s reflections on creativity, nature, and the human spirit, discovering how art connects us to beauty and meaning in everyday life. Perfect for lovers of poetry, philosophy, and inspirational readings, this episode brings Emerson’s wisdom to life through thoughtful narration and reflection.

Art by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Give to barrows, trays, and pans
Grace and glimmer of romance;
Bring the moonlight into noon
Hid in gleaming piles of stone;
On the city's paved street
Plant gardens lined with lilacs sweet;
Let spouting fountains cool the air,
Singing in the sun-baked square;
Let statue, picture, park, and hall,
Ballad, flag, and festival,
The past restore, the day adorn,
And make to-morrow a new morn.
So shall the drudge in dusty frock
Spy behind the city clock
Retinues of airy kings,
Skirts of angels, starry wings,
His fathers shining in bright fables,
His children fed at heavenly tables.
'T is the privilege of Art
Thus to play its cheerful part,
Man on earth to acclimate,
And bend the exile to his fate,
And, moulded of one element
With the days and firmament,
Teach him on these as stairs to climb,
And live on even terms with Time;
Whilst upper life the slender rill
Of human sense doth overfill.