Poems & Prayers

“Carve and Burn”

The poem’s title refers to the process of separating the wheat from the chaff, an idiom used as a metaphor for selecting what has value and discarding the dross that does not. This is necessary, according to the poem, for personal transformation. 

The last two lines, “In the name of transformation / die a little instead of completely” (Lines 3-4) invoke the idea of ego death—a concept of diminishing the importance of the self to cultivate empathy, communal understanding, and generosity toward others, all of which lead to a life that is more pleasing to God. Dying “a little” means repudiating those aspects of yourself that hold you back from your ideals. After rejecting these less functional elements of the self, it becomes easier to develop the remaining better qualities in their place. 

“The universe is designed to kill us”

This short poem appears at first to be rather brutal. Nothing in the material world, it argues, is designed for our own comfort: The cosmos ushers us to our extinction, and the Earth is designed to “rob” (Line 2) us of our peace of mind. 

The poem’s first turn happens when it points out that in this difficult environment, peace was “never meant to be on the menu” (Line 5). While this conclusion seems to confirm our doom, it actually introduces the poem’s ideas about the divine. The contrast is between this harsh physical plane and the realm of God: Peace is an aspect of God’s nature and he offers it to us through his grace. 

The poem’s second turn positions us in opposition to the peace we seek: To achieve it, “we must rage” (Line 8) with purpose against injustice and cruelty. 

“Good Man” 

This straightforward poem contrasts the archetypes of the “good man” and the “nice guy”—seemingly synonymous phrases that have very different connotations. The nice guy might be easy to be around, but he doesn’t stand for anything. He just goes along without considering the moral implications. The good man is different. He has principles and “certain ideals” (Line 2), and he will stand up for them. As a result, he may not always be “nice”—i.e., polite or pleasant—but he is a more valuable person to know. 

“Propaganda”

This is one of the few unrhymed poems in the collection. It comprises maxims of two lines each, emphasizing the need to choose depth, completeness, and true value over superficial things. 

As the title makes clear, the poem argues that our society promotes and sells the superficial and the meaningless rather than encouraging depth and authenticity: propaganda that advocates commercialism by manipulating people’s emotions. 

The poem’s maxims offer an alternative path that eschews the lure of the limelight and the thrill of instant gratification. Several stress the importance of thinking long term. For example, “The posture you pose in fifteen minutes of fame, / is nothing compared to the legend of your character” (Lines 5-6), means that short cuts and peak moments do not count for as much as solid achievement based on merit. Likewise, “The lies you tell may buy you some time, / but the truth will make you immortal” (Lines 7-8), urges readers to consider the reputational consequences of unethical behavior. 

Others consider the importance of generosity, empathy, and selflessness. “The gifts you hoard and hide will make you jealous, / but the ones you share will show them how” (Lines 9-10) is about the psychologically remunerative nature of giving, while, “The thanks that you expect will hold you entitled, / but the gratitude you give will breed freedom” (Lines 15-16), uses paradox to emphasize the need for self-effacing thankfulness. 

“Good Rebel”

This is one of the most passionate and deeply felt of McConaughey’s religious poems. The rebel archetype that he depicts—someone who goes against the grain by doing things in a way that secular society does not expect—is one of the typical descriptions of Jesus Christ, the martyred divinity of Christianity. 

Aspiring to a religious understanding of life, the poem’s speaker prays to be allowed to hear the call of God and to follow God’s law, even when there appear to be no consequences, good or bad, to doing so. He desires for readers an expansion of our whole being so that God is in our breath. Once we transition from doing faith to simply being it, we can express the divine in everything we do and are. Desiring the complete presence of God requires the courage to experience God’s love constantly. 

“Solo Man”

As the title suggests, this poem is addressed to men who are unattached to a family or who find it hard to reach out to others. In this way, it plays into contemporary concerns about a psychological epidemic of male loneliness, one of the consequences of rigid gender norms in a patriarchal society. 

The poem wonders about the reasons for solo men’s isolation: Perhaps they are too quick to judge or dismiss others. The poem encourages men to soften their hearts by seeing “everyone as someone’s child, sibling, and parent” (Line 2). Understanding that everyone is, or was at some time, precious to somebody may have the power to transform. 

The poem appeals to Christian ideals in its plea for men to find community. It uses Jesus’ second most important commandment, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Line 4)—a direct quotation of Matthew 22:39—to give a religious dimension to its exhortation that men avoid solo lives.