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

Support + Stay Connected to OPO

If 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 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
Every Cell Misses You by Dolon Pramanik | One Poem Only [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:42
One Poem Only is a daily poetry podcast offering a quiet moment with a single poem—read aloud, without analysis or noise. Every Cell Misses YouDolon PramanikEvery single cell in my body calls your name.It’s like they all…
Sunday Recap & All the Words for Blue by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:21
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Feb 2 Light by Shannon West @shannonswriting on Instagram.Feb 3 The Cloak of Quiet Light by Dorothy Howls @thehumanspell on Instagr…
Magnetism by Emma Lazarus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:06
Magnetism Emma Lazarus By the impulse of my will,By the red flame in my blood,By me nerves' electric thrill,By the passion of my mood,My concentrated desire,My undying, desperate love,I ignore Fate, I defy her,Iron-heart…
glass half by Michaela Godding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53
glass halfMichaela GoddingI’m sorryfor this mess all over the all overthe carpetdragging at my heelslike a half dead doglook at memy empty is so bigmy stomach fullof starsunapologizingon the way downat least I can sayI b…
On My Own by Srishti Jain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05
On My OwnSrishti JainIn the air of the city,I feel like a hermitsauntering across landscapewith lavendersand a breezethat welcomes mewhere I always belonged.It is serene watersthat touch my stormwishing me luckto never s…
Dreams by Cecilia Knight [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:11
DreamsCecilia Knighti’m three months postpartumand i’m dreaming againnot the kind you get when you’re asleepwhat is sleep anyway?the kind you get when you’re awakewhen your eyes are openand you feel alivethe kind of drea…
The Cloak of Quiet Light by Dorothy Howls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43
The Cloak of Quiet Light Dorothy Howls I weave a thread of silver-white, around my chest, soft-shielded tight. A shimmer-glow no eye can see, but here it stands, protecting me. No harsh word sticks, no shadow stays, I’m…
Light by Shannon West [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:29
LightShannon WestI’m afraid of the dark and so is heWe hold each other close and drift off into dreamsThe closet light is on - just how we like itLight spills from beneath the door bathing the room in its warmthThe basem…
Sunday Recap & Through the Sound by Maggie Devers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:02
Here’s your recap of this week’s poems plus one new poem to carry us into the week ahead.Jan 26 - Born of Ashes by Goldilocks @goldenprisonpoetry on Instagram.Jan 27 - The Mythical Hero of Legend has Clinical Depression…
Without The Noise by Dipanwita Dey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:37
Without The Noise Dipanwita Dey Who am Iwhen the notifications stop buzzing,when applause fades,when the lights dim and disappear,when no eyes are left to watch?Who am Iwhen the corner of the bedside empties quietly,the…