Poetry Unbound

Dante Micheaux — Theologies for Korah

15 snips
Feb 2, 2026
A rich poem written for a baptism is read and examined through playful, provocative religious images. The conversation traces three vivid sections invoking John the Baptist, baptismal liturgy, and Catherine of Siena. Reflection turns on guidance, truth-telling, and courage as public acts. The piece invites listeners to see rituals and figures as living, debatable presences.
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ANECDOTE

Unexpected Public Laughter

  • Pádraig Ó Tuama describes first reading Dante Michaud's poem in Poetry Magazine and laughing out loud in public.
  • He later met Marie Howe, read it together, and kept returning to the poem for its lively religious imagination.
INSIGHT

Faith And Independent Thought

  • Dante Michaud practices religion while keeping independent, heretic thought alive and electric.
  • This shows faith can coexist with critical imagination rather than suppressing the mind.
INSIGHT

Religion As Provocation

  • The poem uses religious figures (John the Baptist, liturgy, Catherine of Siena) as provocations rather than dogma.
  • It speaks to a child with seriousness, urging truth-telling, courage, and intellectual attention.
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