Perfectly Poetic

Allen Mowery

Perfectly Poetic is a podcast that digs into poetry from every angle—classic, modern, obscure, and everything in between. Hosted by Allen Mowery, it’s a show for the curious and the critical, exploring the meaning, context, and cultural weight behind the lines. It’s not about idolizing poets or pretending every poem is profound. It’s about engaging with language, questioning assumptions, and finding unexpected insight in verse—whether it moves you, annoys you, or leaves you wondering why it exists.

  1. Ep. 87 — Seventeen Syllables of Suffering: The Haiku Scam

    07/16/2025

    Ep. 87 — Seventeen Syllables of Suffering: The Haiku Scam

    Tired of people calling 17 syllables “genius”? So am I. In this brutally honest, occasionally unhinged episode of Perfectly Poetic, Allen Mowery finally unleashes his pent-up frustration about the most overrated poetic form of all time: the haiku. From childhood worksheet trauma to seasonal name-dropping, syllable policing, AI-generated nonsense, and the myth of Bashō's frog — no stone (or smooth river pebble) is left unskipped. Prepare yourself for frogs, fury, and the poetic equivalent of vending machine sushi. Spoiler: There’s a haiku at the end. And it’s not about coffee. What We Cover in This Episode: Why your third-grade haiku assignment was emotional sabotage The true history of haiku (and how we butchered it) Bashō’s frog poem — misunderstood or overhyped? The tyranny of 5-7-5 and the myth of morae Why “deep” isn’t the same as “short” Haikus on dating profiles, bumper stickers, and coffee shop chalkboards Allen’s Haiku Manifesto for the modern world AI haikus vs. human ones: can you tell the difference? A few delightfully petty haikus written out of spite Why we should demand more from poetry — and ourselves Quote from the Episode: “A haiku is not profound just because it’s small. It’s not a bonsai tree — it’s usually just a dead branch with a filter on it.” Mentioned or Referenced: Matsuo Bashō Nick Virgilio Jack Kerouac 3rd grade teachers everywhere Haiku bots (yes, they’re real and yes, they’re terrifying) Connect with the Show: 🌐 Website: perfectlypoetic.com 📸 Instagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcast 📬 Email: poetic@perfectlypoetic.com 📺 YouTube: @perfectlypoeticpodcast

    30 min
  2. Ep. 86 — Feelings Are Not Facts: Romanticism’s Reckoning

    07/09/2025

    Ep. 86 — Feelings Are Not Facts: Romanticism’s Reckoning

    In this final chapter of our Romanticism series, we bring the velvet curtain down with a sharp, necessary reality check. After indulging in the beauty, the yearning, and the drama of Romanticism, it’s time to ask the uncomfortable questions: What happens when feelings become fact? When perception overrides truth? When self-expression becomes a substitute for self-governance? In this episode, Allen Mowery unpacks the paradox at the heart of Romanticism and explores the cultural consequences of turning emotion into moral authority. From Oscar Wilde’s unexpected transformation to T.S. Eliot’s quiet call to humility, we examine the poets who pushed back — and what their work still demands of us today. We don’t just critique Romanticism’s legacy; we wrestle with it. And in the process, we offer an alternative: a life rooted not in the whims of feeling, but in the enduring clarity of truth. Topics Covered: Why feelings are not facts (even if they feel really, really factual) The paradox of Romanticism’s emotional revolution The dangers of moral relativism and cultural narcissism Poets who resisted the emotional freefall: Eliot, Auden, Herbert, and more The difference between being expressive and being whole A call to choose truth — especially when it’s uncomfortable Featured Poets & Texts: T.S. Eliot – Four Quartets, Ash Wednesday W.H. Auden – September 1, 1939 George Herbert – The Elixir Oscar Wilde – De Profundis Selections from Romantic-era and post-Romantic poets Connect with Perfectly Poetic: Website: https://perfectlypoetic.com Instagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcast Facebook: Perfectly Poetic Podcast YouTube: Perfectly Poetic on YouTube Email: poetic@perfectlypoetic.com

    15 min
  3. Ep. 85 — Storms, Stars, and Self-Destruction: The Dark Side of Romanticism

    07/02/2025

    Ep. 85 — Storms, Stars, and Self-Destruction: The Dark Side of Romanticism

    In this darkly delightful episode, we stop swooning over daffodils and start whispering to ghosts. Welcome to the stormy underworld of Romanticism—the side that’s drenched in moonlight, mourning, madness, and metaphysical despair. We explore what happens when emotion becomes obsession, beauty turns to terror, and the soul starts writing poetry with a quill dipped in melancholy. From Charlotte Dacre’s guilt-laced internal ruin to Novalis’s cosmic marriage proposal to death itself, we examine poetry that doesn’t just feel—it devours. Along the way, we meet snowbound nihilists, disillusioned philosophers, and poets who would have had thriving TikTok trauma-core accounts. And yes, we talk about the real monsters—like Matthew Lewis, who made Gothic horror loud, excessive, and weirdly seductive long before horror movies knew how to scream. In the end, we discover that the Romantics weren’t just dramatic—they were timeless. Their hunger still echoes through our curated sadness, moody playlists, and spiritual search engines. Featured Poets and Works: Charlotte Dacre – “The Confession” James Thomson – from Winter Friedrich Schiller – from The Gods of Greece Novalis – from Hymns to the Night Matthew Lewis – “The Fragment” Themes Explored: The Gothic as emotional architecture Nature as beautiful annihilation Spiritual grief and divine silence Death as intimacy, not destruction Emotional excess as both truth and performance Modern culture's Romantic inheritance: from curated sadness to hashtag despair Connect With Us:perfectlypoetic.comInstagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcastFacebook: facebook.com/perfectlypoeticEmail: poetic@perfectlypoetic.comYouTube: @perfectlypoeticpodcast Tags:#Romanticism #PoetryPodcast #GothicPoetry #Novalis #CharlotteDacre #DarkRomanticism #ModernMelancholy #TheSublime #PoeticDespair #PerfectlyPoetic

    18 min
  4. Ep. 84 — Swooning, Sobbing, and Rose Petals: Romanticism Deserves a Timeout

    06/25/2025

    Ep. 84 — Swooning, Sobbing, and Rose Petals: Romanticism Deserves a Timeout

    Romanticism. The age of passion, poetry... and maybe just a little too much fainting onto chaise lounges. In this episode of Perfectly Poetic, Allen takes a long, emotionally complicated walk through the overly perfumed garden of 19th-century love poems. Featuring full readings of Byron, Hemans, Moore, Landon, and Shelley, this episode explores the syrupy, swoon-heavy side of Romanticism — the poems that confuse longing with love and fantasy with fact. But it doesn’t stop in the 1800s. We draw the not-so-subtle lines between these melodramatic verses and our modern dating culture — complete with swiping, soft launches, emotional martyrdom, and “u up?” texts disguised as destiny. It’s deeply philosophical, hilariously brutal, and surprisingly poignant. If you’ve ever projected a full love story onto someone who matched your energy for three days, this one’s for you. In This Episode Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty” and the art of poetic projection Felicia Hemans’ flaming ode to obedience in “Casabianca” Thomas Moore and the emotional limbo of unlabeled relationships L.E.L.’s glamorized grief in “The Grave of a Suicide” Percy Shelley’s overly sensual nature metaphors in “Love’s Philosophy” A full cultural and philosophical breakdown of modern love, dating apps, emotional detachment, and the fantasy trap we still fall forOne fainting couch, emotionally speaking Poems Featured (in full): “She Walks in Beauty” – Lord Byron “Casabianca” – Felicia Hemans “Oh! Call It by Some Better Name” – Thomas Moore “The Grave of a Suicide” – Letitia Elizabeth Landon “Love’s Philosophy” – Percy Bysshe Shelley Connect with Us: Website: perfectlypoetic.comInstagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcastFacebook: facebook.com/perfectlypoeticEmail: poetic@perfectlypoetic.com Tags #Romanticism #LordByron #PoetryPodcast #DatingCulture #SappyPoems #LiterarySatire #PhilosophyOfLove #FeliciaHemans #DatingApps #PoeticMeltdown #ThomasMoore #RomanticPoets #PerfectlyPoetic #Shelley #EmotionalProjection

    15 min
  5. Ep. 83 — Big Feelings, Stormy Skies: Welcome to Romanticism

    06/18/2025

    Ep. 83 — Big Feelings, Stormy Skies: Welcome to Romanticism

    Before poetry became a Pinterest quote or a cringey greeting card, it was wild. Soulful. Dramatic. Welcome to the world of Romanticism — the literary movement where emotion was a weapon, nature was sacred, and your existential crisis could become a 42-line poem. In this first episode of the Romanticism series, we dig into what made the Romantics tick (spoiler: feelings), how they turned heartbreak and thunderstorms into high art, and why their unapologetic emotional chaos still hits home today. Featuring poetic heavyweights like Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, and Byron, we explore how Romanticism wasn’t just about writing pretty things — it was about feeling hard, living fully, and refusing to be numb. This isn’t your high school English class. This is poetry with teeth, rain-soaked revelation, and a little bit of dirt under the fingernails. Highlights include: What Romanticism actually was — and what it was pushing back against Nature as temple, therapist, and truth-teller Byron’s smoldering ego, Shelley’s political rage, Keats’s gorgeous grief Why this 200-year-old movement still describes your most vulnerable self better than your therapist Links & Resources:perfectlypoetic.com Instagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcast Facebook: facebook.com/perfectlypoetic Email: poetic@perfectlypoetic.com Tags: Romanticism, poetry, Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, Shelley, nature, emotion, literary rebellion

    12 min
  6. Ep. 82: Poe’s Loner Anthem

    06/11/2025

    Ep. 82: Poe’s Loner Anthem

    Some kids are born to play tag. Others sit on the swing set and contemplate mortality. Edgar Allan Poe? Definitely the swing set type. In this episode, we take a dive (not a dramatic, Gothic plunge—just a tasteful dip) into one of Poe’s lesser-known but deeply revealing poems: Alone. With his signature melancholy flair and all the emotional baggage of a moody Victorian vampire, Poe explores what it means to feel cut off from the rest of humanity, even from childhood. We break down the lines, the metaphors, and the angsty undercurrents, while also wrestling with bigger questions: Is Poe being honest? Is this performative sadness? Or is it just good branding? Expect literary analysis, a splash of sarcasm, and a reminder that feeling different has a long poetic pedigree. The full reading of Alone (moody candlelight optional) How childhood alienation shaped Poe’s poetic voice The art of the tortured persona (and whether it’s legit or literary theater) Line-by-line breakdown of key images: demons, storms, and that pesky, joyless dawn Why this poem still hits home for misfits, introverts, and brooding creatives everywhere “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe You don’t have to wear all black or write with a quill by moonlight to appreciate Poe. Sometimes poetry just knows how to say what you’re too tired or too weirded out to say yourself. And that’s kind of the whole point. Follow, rate, and leave a review if you enjoy the show—especially if you're the kind of person who also secretly thinks the world is out to get you (poetically, of course). Podcast: Perfectly PoeticEpisode Length: 15:21Host: Allen Mowery Connect with us: Website: perfectlypoetic.comInstagram: @perfectlypoeticpodcastEmail: poetic@perfectlypoetic.com

    15 min
  7. Ep. 81: Love Conquers [Some]

    08/13/2022

    Ep. 81: Love Conquers [Some]

    Poetry is often associated with romance, and rightfully so, as some of the most beautiful verses in literature have spawned from the heart in love.  But poetry has also been born of love gone awry.   Discover the comically-lurid story behind one of England's most-recognized poems along with the mournful and little-known poetic verses written by an imprisoned queen awaiting her execution.  Love is strong, but it doesn't always conquer. FEATURED POETRY: "My Darling Wife" — Nathan Roberts "O, Death, Rock Me Asleep" — Anne Boleyn "Greensleeves" — Unknown Subscribe to Perfectly Poetic wherever you get your podcasts.  Discover more at perfectlypoetic.com. This episode is sponsored by Melton Trading Co. – Improving lives in developing communities FEATURED MUSIC: Music: "What a Friend" by Allen Mowery (www.allenmowery.com) Used with permission Music: "Medieval Chateau" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music: "Bonfire" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music: "Village Ambiance" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)   Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License   http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music: "Planning" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)    Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music: "War Shout" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)    Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

    15 min
  8. Ep. 80: The Darkness of Tragedy Gives Way to Hope – Horatio Gates Spafford

    07/31/2022

    Ep. 80: The Darkness of Tragedy Gives Way to Hope – Horatio Gates Spafford

    A man of means, with his wife and four daughters by his side, the life of Horatio Gates Spafford was set to be the idyllic dream for which so many in the Victorian era longed.  But tragedy was beckoning on his doorstep.  Death, heartache, and financial ruin were the reality for this grieving soul who, alongside his wife, faced the deepest of sorrows in what was once a happy life.  Yet, in the midst of his visceral pain, Spafford wrote of hope, of peace, and the humanitarian efforts of he and his children still reverberates today. Poetry included in this episode: – "It Is Well With My Soul" – "A Song in the Night" Subscribe to Perfectly Poetic wherever you get your podcasts.  Discover more at perfectlypoetic.com. This episode is sponsored by Melton Trading Co. – Improving lives in developing communities

    14 min
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About

Perfectly Poetic is a podcast that digs into poetry from every angle—classic, modern, obscure, and everything in between. Hosted by Allen Mowery, it’s a show for the curious and the critical, exploring the meaning, context, and cultural weight behind the lines. It’s not about idolizing poets or pretending every poem is profound. It’s about engaging with language, questioning assumptions, and finding unexpected insight in verse—whether it moves you, annoys you, or leaves you wondering why it exists.

Information

  • Creator
    Allen Mowery
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Allen Mowery
  • Show Website
    Perfectly Poetic