
9 segments available
Falling in love is a courageous, destabilizing, and deeply human act. In this Valentine’s Day special, Irish poet and philosopher David Whyte returns with poems of romance. He reflects on love’s power to transform a life. Through intimate stories of vulnerability, longing, and the willingness to step into the unknown to live and love fully.
Exploring the concept of idealistic love and its transformative journey.
"Tetro. [music] Tetro. [music] In romantic love, there's this longing for an ideal. And when I say ideal, I'm not talking about something that is meant to dissipate. Yeah, we talk about contemplation, ..."
Discussing the subversive nature of love and its impact on personal identity.
"It's just incredibly grounded at the same time that he's taking you out of your present body. So the powers of romantic love are to do with subversion of your present identity. And I mean we actually ..."
Reflecting on how romantic love leads to self-discovery and mutual vulnerability.
"Sometimes you need only that first shyness that comes from being shown things far beyond your understanding so that you can fly and become free by being still and by being still here. And then there a..."
Examining the open nature of vulnerability and its importance in relationships.
"To know those arms around you and to make your home in the world just by being wanted. To see those eyes looking back at you as eyes should see you at last. Seeing you as you always wanted to be seen...."
Discussing how true love is a collective manifestation of two identities.
"So when you're vulnerable, you're open to the world and you're open in a way where you have no choice. That's just the way you're made actually. Yeah. So in meeting another person in love, you're the ..."
Delving into the pains and lessons drawn from unrequited love.
"So, it's affirming something but it's affirming >> a future. You >> a new thing. >> Exactly. >> And it's a different thing. >> Exactly. >> It's a letting go of the past. >> Yes. Yeah. I had this very ..."
A personal journey through landscapes reflecting on love and self-discovery.
"And yet there's something incredibly powerful about that brief ceremony. Even if you're leaving, yeah, there's something that's very courageous about two people committing to a future together that's ..."
Reflecting on the connections that poetry can foster in understanding love.
"So, this next one is about the powerful dreamlike experience that occurs in a truly consummated relationship. Not just in sexual consummation, but in the half-dreaming state that occurs afterwards. I ..."
Discussing the cycles of intimacy and solitude in the experience of love.
"But perhaps I'll finish with a piece that encapsulates the falling in love with a person uh falling in love with a work and a falling in love with your own life again. And I often think that life is t..."