Cheap Therapy Cheat Sheet by Tanja Lau

Cheap Therapy Cheat Sheet by Tanja Lau

Author: Maggie Devers January 28, 2026 Duration: 2:31

Cheap Therapy Cheat Sheet

Tanja Lau

This poem was originally published by Part-Time Poets. Issue 29.

No excuses. Pick your next move:
Some people scream into pillows, others name
their grief Steve and set a place for him at dinner.
Mine is called Ernesto, he’s Swedish and he’s a stranger
to daylight, so I forgive him. Naturally, he likes to quote
Kierkegaard. That guy knew a thing or two about
connecting the dots backwards. But it’s the part
about living fast-forward Ernie conveniently swallows.
It still gets me every time. You know,
Ernesto can be a bit dramatic. He always wants me
to dress for my own funeral. But I pick the red backless
dress instead and microwave my lunch at 4 p.m. like Lady Madrid.
Yes, it’s good china Wednesday. Everyday. Time to crack
open that bottle of champagne I’ve been saving
for a special occasion. What’s more special
than being alive? After dinner, I serve two Oreos
like communion. (Take three, if you’re religious.)
For dessert there’s nothing better than writing
my name on the mirror. Kissing it. (With tongue
for advanced patients). And then the grand finale:
smashing the handmade mug from third grade
pottery class and spending two hours reassembling it.
Same same, but different. Just like me. In bed,
I make a vow to never again miss a chance
to dance it out in an elevator. Ernesto wouldn’t approve.
Who cares? He’s asleep by now.

More from Tanja Lau ↓

  1. @tanias.butterflies on Instagram
  2. Tania's Butterflies on Substack
  3. Listen to me read Rumors by Tanja on Instagram @rembrandts.cure

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
How Clear She Shines by Emily Brontë [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:04
How Clear She Shines Emily Brontë How clear she shines! How quietlyI lie beneath her guardian light;While heaven and earth are whispering me,"To morrow, wake, but dream to-night."Yes, Fancy, come, my Fairy love!These thr…
Stuck in the Blue by Tushil Jariwala [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:17
Stuck in the Blue Tushil Jariwala i remember that weekend — the lilac sky,how i smiled at the stars while learning goodbye.i gave you my laughter, my voice, my youth,and you gave me silence, disguised as truth.i thought…
Canvas of Uncertainty by Asiyah Yusuf [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:07
Canvas of Uncertainty Asiyah YusufWe all wonder what the future holdsA blank canvas waiting, like an unwritten scroll.Brushstrokes of imagination begin to unfold,As hearts find solace in stories yet untold.In the darknes…
My Son in the Sea by Lisa Zerkle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
My Son in the Sea Lisa Zerkle Somehow he knows he can breathe in both water and air. See how he grows piscine, dull on land, iridescent in the deep.Delicate flesh of my blood and my bone. How many bodies can this world h…
Winter nights, burning cinder. by Sierra sylvie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:04
Winter nights, burning cinder.Sierra sylvie As I lie here with eyes that , Glint while the cinder burns each memory softly. As I lie here with those eyes that , Soar across every memory longing to be embraced.As I lie he…
Moonborn by Aura Guerra-Artola [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57
Moonborn Aura Guerra-Artola I am the Moon’s daughter. Forever shifting roomswithin the skin I call home.My light has crossed the tides, so have my shadows. I leave pieces— memory like bark, fallen between full and hollow…
Sunday Recap & Something Nice for Myself by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:33
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Nov 17 - The Anatomy of a Queer Body by Gokul Prabhu @iamameme_gp on Instagram and @gokulprabhu1 on Substack.Nov 18 - Raindrops by…
Fernando by Keana Aguila Labra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:08
Fernando Keana Aguila Labra 2011. Fernando was where we danced with our heels above the sand. A sixteen hour flight with jet lag as we licked the 6am sun. This is where it rises. Where he rises. Six hours before the myst…
Ode to the Familiar Strangers by Yara Tawk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:33
Ode to the Familiar Strangers Yara TawkLike a wave crashing down on shore to then melt back into the ocean, I wonder if I too must break to recollect myself in my mother's embrace.Do droplets of rain miss being a wave?Wi…
Loneliness is a strange dopamine by Dipanwita Dey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:56
Loneliness is a strange dopamine Dipanwita Dey Loneliness is a strange dopamine.Slowly, steadily, it consumes existence.Under its spell, it traps, strangulates,murders, and extinguishes.The desperate try to defeat it,unl…