Brood by Maggie Devers

Brood by Maggie Devers

Author: Maggie Devers May 15, 2025 Duration: 1:44

Brood

Maggie Devers

The three hens at my daughter’s school
Are oblivious to egg prices
Concerned with lunch scraps
And the stray termite
And their stair perch when the sun dips low

I wonder how they spend evenings and weekends
If they miss the sound of childsong
Or the Sunday scaries set in

I imagine they commune with their comrades
Offer jokes and such for trade
My daughter assures me chickens dislike the mud
And I'm inclined to believe her

More from Maggie Devers ↓


Mentioned in this episode:

Write After: National Poetry Month with One Poem Only

Write 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


Each day, One Poem Only offers a brief, deliberate pause. Hosted by Maggie Devers, this podcast is built on a simple, consistent premise: a single poem, read aloud, without analysis or introduction. It’s an audio space where the words themselves are the event, a performance meant to be absorbed in the few minutes it takes to hear it. The daily rhythm of the show creates a quiet ritual, a point of reflection woven into a busy life. You might hear a classic sonnet, a piece of modern free verse, or a work from a poet you’ve never encountered. The selection is varied, touching on themes from the natural world to the intricacies of human emotion, always leaving room for your own interpretation. The effect is cumulative; listening regularly becomes a subtle form of education in the sound and scope of poetry, and a small act of self-care. This isn't a lecture or a book club, but a performing art delivered directly to your ears. Maggie’s clear, thoughtful readings provide the only framework needed, allowing each poem to stand entirely on its own. The curtain falls, and the moment passes, but the podcast invites you to return tomorrow when a new piece takes center stage, offering another quiet moment, one poem only.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 355

One Poem Only
Podcast Episodes
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Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.May 26 - St. Pancras Station, August 1915 by Vera BrittainMay 27 - The Coliseum by Edgar Allan PoeMay 28 - The garden path and all…
The Wish, By a Young Lady by Laetitia Pilkington [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39
The Wish, By a Young Lady Laetitia Pilkington 1709 – 1750 I ask not wit, nor beauty do I crave,Nor wealth, nor pompous titles wish to have;But since, 'tis doomed through all degrees of life,Whether a daughter, sister, or…
Long, Too Long America by Walt Whitman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:46
Long, Too Long America Walt Whitman 1819 – 1892 Long, too long America,Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn'd from joys and prosperity only,But now, ah now, to learn from crises of anguish, advancing, grapplin…
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Duration: 1:19
Did you know? Maggie Devers The divine feminine loves to find trouble and communeTo cannonball into the pool just to make wavesAnd feel the splash backMore from Maggie Devers ↓Read my debut poetry book, For My DaughterFo…
The garden path and all that jazz by Anisha SenGupta Yanger [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57
The garden path and all that jazz Anisha SenGupta Yanger Often enough,the ziplock splitsthe bones crash,and I can feel the days presence all too well,the particles of my cerebellum,caught unawaresjust like the watchtower…
The Coliseum by Edgar Allan Poe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:53
The Coliseum Edgar Allan Poe 1809 – 1849 Type of the antique Rome! Rich reliquary Of lofty contemplation left to Time By buried centuries of pomp and power! At length—at length—after so many days Of weary pilgrimage and…
St. Pancras Station, August 1915 by Vera Brittain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37
St. Pancras Station, August 1915 Vera Brittain 1893 – 1970 One long, sweet kiss pressed close upon my lips, One moment's rest on your swift-beating heart,And all was over, for the hour had come For us to part.A sudden fo…
Sunday Recap & She was in her prime by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:27
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.May 19 - Fides, Spes by Willa CatherMay 20 - Love by Elizabeth Barrett BrowningMay 21 - Storm Chaser by Melanie HessMay 22 - During…