Cook & Crank: The Cosmic Poetry Podcast
The official podcast of Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. Hear a different poem performed each week in the Cosmic Poet's own authentic, expressive voice, with a short commentary for added enjoyment.
Simon Pole is the author of six volumes of poetry, including the seven-poem epic cycle The Saga of Terminal City. Known for a distinctive brand of writing called Cosmic Poetry, which scales from the everyday to the spiritual heights beyond, Pole is a graduate of Harvard University, and a descendant of early Canadian poet Susie Drury.
He lives in Kingsville, Ontario, on the north shore of Lake Erie.
Episodes
64 episodes
The Moth and the Ladybug
The Moth, the Ladybug and the ground-dwelling Shrew, are much like us, aren’t they? Learn the lessons they teach in a Walter de la Mare-ish poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole, from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Fly Little Bird
Eventually our children have to leave home, and if we’re lucky they’ll remember us as the ones who loved them. A sonnet read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
O Cat
O Cat on my lap on the couch, what are you thinking? Explore the cat’s imagination in a poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
The Married Life
Every family is unhappy in its own way, and the same could be said about marriages. A poem about The Married Life read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
Space Dome
Isn’t it everyone’s fantasy to live in a Space Dome, and hear a sonnet about it? A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Rags of Time
All things succumb, in the end. And on this we meditate. A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole from the Poems For Ocean collection.
The King
King of the bathtub. King of the world. An ode to getting clean read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Astro Zombies (1968)
A classic movie. A classic sonnet. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
Scenes From A War
Images from a war that hit where it hurts. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole, from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Hymn to Prose
A hymn to the literature of our time, for better or worse. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole, from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Moral Clarity
A pseudo-sonnet meditation on time’s decay, and love’s possible opposition. From the Poems For Ocean collection, read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole.
My Boys
A longer poem about an unconventional squid-like family, originating in the South Seas. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
The Wicked Tory
Do old Tories ever die? Maybe they just fade away. A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
One Among Many
Exclusion is a type of alienation. A poem addressing this terrible state and its origin. From Cosmic Poet Simon Pole and the Poems For Ocean collection.
Grave Goods
To the grave all things come, but what is good about it? A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
The Cartographer's Poem
The poet can and should be a map-maker for forgotten realms. A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
Empty Time
No a depressing poem, but a poem about depression. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
The Wrong-Way Driver
Don't some people always seem to be going the wrong way in life? This sonnet is about them. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
To The Tetrapod
An ode to that crazy, four-lobbed, evolutionary uncle, The Tetrapod. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
Do It Yourself
Some advice to the young: Do It Yourself! A poem read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.
Who Are You?
A sonnet commemorating the return to one's hometown, and the ambivalence thereof. From Cosmic Poet Simon Pole, and the Poems For Ocean collection.
Magic Sun
Another longer poem about that mysterious force which warms us all, the Magic Sun. What is it? Cosmic Poet Simon Pole reads from the Poems For Ocean collection.
Dawn of the Dead
An homage to the good old zombie movie, which teaches us many lessons. Read by Cosmic Poet Simon Pole. From the Poems For Ocean collection.