One Poem Only

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. First DraftJo WrightI don’t want AI.I want bees and seasDeep evergreen forestsGreat honeycombsIcecaps.Just, knowledgeable loversMen needing othersPeople questioning rhetoricSpeaking truthUnderstanding VaccinationsA world where we exclude no oneYears where there is still ozone.I want words to matterAnd when I draft my patterI don’t want my phone to ask‘Can I rewrite that for you?’I want credit where credit’s bloody dueAnd throwing that swear word inStops Google taking the line from you.I want water poured into humanityUntil everyone’s cup is fullUntil this thief clad in microchipsBurns itself out.I want precisely zero of your excusesWailing viciously under this skyRetreat quietly pleaseOut to no man’s landKeeping jealous ignorance ofHow generosity feedsEveryone’s delicate creativityBetter without AI.I don’t want it.I want to reclaim the land.More from Jo Wright ↓@joslipstick on InstagramSupport + Stay Connected to OPOIf you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.Poetry slows us down. Thank you for listening.Mentioned in this episode:Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.#WriteAfterOPO

One Poem More gathers all of this week’s poems from One Poem Only—an unhurried chance to listen again, or catch what you missed.This week’s poemsPlutocracy by Alicia SwainTony and/or Tonee by Nguyen Minh TriSnail by Lizzie Elliot-Kleinintuition by rismReduced by Rosalind DaviesEpitaph On A Tyrant by W. H. AudenPlus one new one to carry us into the week aheadIn WarmthMaggie DeversHow many pots of tea have we forgotten to drink?Have we left sitting calmly on the counterGoing from hot to warmWarm to coolNoiselessly with no protestAs if our neglect was nothing to the brew,Our forgetfulness marked by indifferenceBut more is wasted than the tea–The chance to pause, to communeTo let the warm sweetness envelop us slowlyLike ivy covering a buildingSometimes taking years to grow.But slowly, slowly spreading to touch every cellTo remind us to protect our warmthSo we remember to shoutWhen we are left alone to grow cold.More from Maggie Devers ↓My debut poetry collection, For My Daughter, available as an audiobook.Purchase a signed copy of For My Daughter or get one free by subscribing to the podcast: One Poem Only on PatreonFollow me on Instagram for more poetry @rembrandts.cureMore from this week’s poetsFind links to each poet’s work, books, and social accounts in the show notes for the individual episodes.Support + Stay Connected to OPOIf you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.Poetry is better when it’s lived with. Thank you for listening.Mentioned in this episode:Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.#WriteAfterOPO

One Poem Only is a daily ritual: one poem, center stage, just for now.Epitaph On A TyrantW. H. AudenPerfection, of a kind, was what he was after,And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;He knew human folly like the back of his hand,And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,And when he cried the little children died in the streets.Support + Stay Connected to OPOIf you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.Poetry shows us what we need. Thank you for being part of the experience.Mentioned in this episode:Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.#WriteAfterOPO

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.ReducedRosalind DaviesEasy winter option, ideal for layering over your favourite outfits,regular fit, timeless crew neckline.The glory of a full-price itemChosen in the hot bloom of the seasonMy size, my length.I take time to choose, plan ahead, create,Build a look, an image, or someone else’s,The one I want to lay on me,The one that speaks loud what I want it to say.A gift card redeems me and I walk, like a cat, away.Long sleeves feature subtle fluting at the cuffs for a stylish finish,a staple for your occasion wardrobe.Not every occasion has a desirable, describable outfit.January watches and waits to launch and throwIts missile attacks on a cratered high streetAnd I remember the decorum of the time before.Arms reach and grab.The crunch of hangers underfoot.A cruel mixture of trousers and skirts, fighting colours, jumble sale,Disordered sizes, lying labels, sale stickers skewering helpless synthetics.I feel the loss.Rubbing between finger and thumb the fading image of careless success,I mourn the season of choice and purchase, the easy accumulation,the beautiful utility of seamless day-to-night.Boutique has become bric-a-brac.I battle, eyes sharp for rivals, at the end of line.Cropped length with belt to cinch you insharp, refined silhouette, a contemporary tailored cut.More from Rosalind Davies ↓@rosssie.d on InstagramSupport + Stay Connected to OPOIf you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.Poetry sustains. Thank you for supporting the podcast.Mentioned in this episode:Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.#WriteAfterOPO

A daily reading from One Poem Only—a quiet space for a single poem, read aloud.intuitionrismPattern recognition is acognitive discipline —congenitally decided for most,congested with emotion.Not to boast, butI’m a fucking psychicfunctioning on fumes and faint tracesof a beautywho previously inhabitedthis body, this brain.I mainline cues.It’s smooth, yet dangerous —an almost cancerous paranoia.Sometimes wildly,the past is a tool used primally;utilize your history.Intuition powerfully promotes fruitionpassionately if tempted.Trust in the process promptedby your progress.More from rism ↓@bugshearyou on InstagramSupport + Stay Connected to OPOIf you’d like to support the show, Substack and Patreon members receive a copy of my book, For My Daughter, along with episodes from the audiobook.Poetry reminds us what matters. Thank you for listening.Mentioned in this episode:Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. We'll get started in April. You can share to #WriteAfterOPO.#WriteAfterOPO