Minnesota Public Radio

I sure miss the Writer's Almanac daily podcast.  I'm having withdrawal symptoms this week.  It was one of the first things I'd look at in the morning, sometimes even before CNN.  Ha!

Unfortunately, the poetry archive is gone.  This is the message posted by Minnesota Public Radio:

"MPR has ended our contract with the company that owns the rights for production and public distribution of The Writers Almanac and MPR no longer has the rights to post the archives.
MPR is proud of its 25 years of work, highlighting the art of poetry and the work of so many talented artists. Please check this page periodically on the chance we can direct you to the online archives. Thank you for enjoying the series."

Garrison Keillor had a real knack for picking good, simple poems.  Fortunately I squirreled some favorites away in a "Writer's Almanac" file.  (Once a librarian, always a librarian.)

Audience

by Connie Wanek

How kind people are!
How few in the crowd truly hope
the tightrope will break.
Rare’s the man who’ll shoot the Pope
or throw his shoe at a liar,
though joining in—that’s natural.
An audience of St. Paul’s sparrows
is easily bored, easily frightened.
One blasphemy and off they fly.
Even a polite dog will snore
through reprimands,
though he’ll rouse to follow
the refreshments with a calculating eye.
But people, especially Minnesotans,
pull their sleeves over their watches
and want to find a way to like you.
If they can sit through winter’s sermons,
they can sit through you.