First Draft by Jo Wright | One Poem Only

First Draft by Jo Wright | One Poem Only

Author: Maggie Devers March 30, 2026 Duration: 1:56

One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise.

First Draft

Jo Wright

I don’t want AI.
I want bees and seas
Deep evergreen forests
Great honeycombs
Icecaps.
Just, knowledgeable lovers
Men needing others
People questioning rhetoric
Speaking truth
Understanding Vaccinations
A world where we exclude no one
Years where there is still ozone.
I want words to matter
And when I draft my patter
I don’t want my phone to ask
‘Can I rewrite that for you?’
I want credit where credit’s bloody due
And throwing that swear word in
Stops Google taking the line from you.
I want water poured into humanity
Until everyone’s cup is full
Until this thief clad in microchips
Burns itself out.
I want precisely zero of your excuses
Wailing viciously under this sky
Retreat quietly please
Out to no man’s land
Keeping jealous ignorance of
How generosity feeds
Everyone’s delicate creativity
Better without AI.
I don’t want it.
I want to reclaim the land.

More from Jo Wright ↓

  1. @joslipstick on Instagram

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Poetry slows us down. Thank you for listening.

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
The Spider by Philippe Blenkiron [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
The Spider Philippe Blenkiron "Is God a Spider?" I asked,"constantly weavingelectron threads into spiraling elemental webs?His iron will, spun with a silk of liquid steel,torn by the slightest of whims? His tenacious tap…
Green Soup by Tabitha Dial [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05
Green Soup Tabitha Dial (Halloween Night 2020)From a quiet keeping-space,I promise my motherghostto create meals and music.Even if from dry bones and tangled memories, my vow as I unstem kale and spinach,add it to the co…
What Are We by Laker Patience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:09
What Are We Laker Patience What are we? is there even a we, or is it possibly just a you and a me, a concoction of delusion, desire, mismatched expectations with no actual communication.What are we? what is this? Because…
i don't remember being small by Momena Khan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:13
i don't remember being small Momena Khan i was sitting beside her, my not-sister. we were eating oranges and she was laughing with her whole mouth open like joy had never betrayed her. i held my fruit too carefully, too…
Garden of Eden by Yonsiri Rojas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:00
Garden of Eden Yonsiri Rojas lulling sunbeam through the boughssoothing ballad of a plum-haired dollhazy notes of pure joyher naked feet wet in fresh springicy water against bare sweet skina dim lonely shadow dancing to…
Bills for Bills of Bills for Bills by Charlotte Stuart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18
Bills for Bills of Bills for Bills Charlotte Stuart They hand me bills for bills of bills for bills,Stacked like bricks in window sills. Pay what you owe, then pay what comes.A tangled song the system hums:A doctor’s bil…
Seventh Wonder by Joba the Poète [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45
Seventh Wonder Joba the Poète Seven wonders of the worldyet I trip like the leaning tower of Pisawhen you sing out my namewith a nine minus two, or rather still,six plus one,the seventh scale of the seventh chordyou love…
"If love were a predator," by McKenzie Hager [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31
If love were a predator,I’d let it hunt me down.While it prowled,I’d shuffle the leavesjust enough to be heard.I’d welcome the weightof its body against mine.And when it struck,I’d go down smiling—Let it take me.Let it t…
Keeping It This Way by Swan Melloh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
Keeping It This Way Swan Melloh I am not your propertyI rather tell myself than youwho wears oblivion for shoes,walks without a knowing heart.I suppose it´s easierto leave you there without a clue,words unspoken in their…